3-Phase Polling in J&K, Single Phase in Haryana in September-October, Results on October 4
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 16: For the first time in a decade, Jammu and Kashmir will go to the polls to elect a new state Assembly in September-October along with Haryana where the single phase polling will be held on October 1.
The Election Commission of India on Friday announced a three-phase polling in Jammu and Kashmir on September 18, 25 and October 1 with the counting of votes in both the states on October 4.
The elections in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly has been pending since 2014 and the state was under the Governor’s Rule since 2018. This marks a big step forward in efforts to meet a Supreme Court order – that democracy return to Jammu and the Kashmir Valley by September 30. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also announced in Srinagar last month that the elections would be held soon and statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, currently a Union Territory, would be restored.
In preparation for the election, the EC said, the final voter list would be published by August 20, the day after the Amarnath Yatra ends. Around 87 lakh voters, he said, were expected to vote for the 90-member state Assembly. In 2014, BJP won 25 seats, PDP 28, Congress 12, National Conference 15 and others 7.
“The people want change… they want to script a new future,” Election Commission chief Rajiv Kumar said, as he outlined the poll body’s plans to hold a safe and successful election in J&K.
“We recently visited J&K to take stock of election preparation. Great enthusiasm was seen… people want to participate in the process. People want elections as early as possible…” he said, recalling the “long queues” at polling booths in J&K and Ladakh during the Lok Sabha election.
Those queues, he said, were “proof people not only want change but also want to become part of that change. Glimpse of hope and democracy shows the people want to change the picture… they want to write their own destiny. The people chose ballots over bullets…” he declared.
An EC team led by Mr Kumar visited J&K for two days earlier this month, during which time they met with representatives from political parties as well as senior police and security officials. And, hours before today’s dates announcement, there had been a large-scale reshuffle of senior police officers, including district chiefs and the head of J&K Police’s Intelligence unit.
The reshuffle, questioned by opposition parties like the National Conference and the Peoples’ Democratic Party, also came as several districts in Jammu face increased terror attacks. That was the third visit by the EC since 2019; the two earlier visits were related to the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Both times the poll panel declined to hold simultaneous elections.
The National Conference leader and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah welcomed the election dates but raised an eyebrow at the Election Commission’s decision to spread voting for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election over three phases and also flagged concerns over the reshuffle of senior police officers in the region. “After 1987-88 this is probably for the first time an election is happening in phases… it will be a new experience. For National Conference, I can say we have been preparing…” he said this afternoon.
He also called on the Election Commission to take notice of concerns over the large-scale reshuffle of senior police officers, including the head of J&K Police’s Intelligence unit, before polling. On that he said, “The EC emphasised free and fair polls… we wrote to the poll body on police transfers in the past 24 hours. They should take notice. We fear this was done to benefit the centre and the BJP.”
“That J&K administration called in officers to work on Independence Day to order this massive reshuffle tells me they had NO CLUE the ECI was announcing poll dates today,” he said on X this afternoon. “All the more reason Election Commission should look at (these) transfers from the prism of a free and fair poll,” he said on X, adding suspicion of a “biased intent” by J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Mr Abdullah also said “transfers outside (EC) guidelines should be stopped” and also called for security cover for mainstream political parties that had been withdrawn or reduced to be restored.
As part of the reshuffle, the districts of Jammu, Ramban, Kathua, Reasi, Udhampur, Doda, and Poonch, as well as Shopian and Ganderbal in the Kashmir Valley, got new police chiefs. This has been seen as significant as these areas have seen a worrying increase in terrorism in the past weeks and months, prompting the central government to deploy a new security matrix in the region.
Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Congress and CPI (M) welcomed the announcement of the Assembly polls by the Election Commission and said people were eagerly waiting for the restoration of democracy in the Union Territory.
“Better late than never,” Pradesh Congress Committee senior vice-president Ravinder Sharma said. He said the people in Jammu and Kashmir were waiting for the assembly elections for the past six years after the fall of the PDP-BJP government in June 2018.
“Though we were pressing for restoration of full statehood before the holding of assembly elections, the announcement by the Election Commission is a welcome step and we are hopeful that the commission will ensure level playing field and adequate security without any discrimination,” said Mr Sharma, who is also the Congress’ chief spokesperson.
He also hoped that the Election Commission would look into the massive reshuffle in the police and civil administration ordered in the Union Territory on the day of the announcement of polls. “There should be no unnecessary transfers and if such a thing had happened, the Election commission should take appropriate action,” the Congress leader said.
Senior CPI (M) leader M Y Tarigami also welcomed the announcement of polls. “It is welcome that after a long time the Election Commission has announced the schedule for elections to the assembly. We also welcome the statement of the EC that it will be a full democratic exercise by ensuring level playing field to all parties and contestants besides sufficient security for candidates and votes as well,” Mr Tarigami said.
Haryana is set to vote in a single phase on October 1 to elect a new state government. A total of 20,629 polling stations – including 7,132 urban and 13,497 rural – will be set up for over 2 crore voters, said Mr Kumar. Booths would be set up in multi-storied buildings as well in urban areas in Gurugram, Sonipat and Faridabad.
There are 90 seats in the Haryana assembly, including 73 General and 17 Scheduled Castes (SC) seats. The term of the current assembly ends on November 3. Election officials had recently visited Haryana to oversee the poll preparedness.
Hours ahead of the likely announcement, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini released the first instalment of a bonus for over 5.20 lakh farmers in the state. The ₹ 2,000 per acre bonus for Kharif crops was released in view of a rain deficit this year. He also announced veterinary polyclinics in eight districts and ₹ 3 lakh insurance cover for dairy farmers earning less than ₹ 3 lakh annually.
An announcement of election marks the beginning of Model Code of Conduct (MCC), during which government can’t announce any major policy or scheme. This period lasts till the counting of votes.
The election is likely to see all major parties going solo with no pre-poll alliances announced yet. The BJP will contest all 90 seats alone under the leadership of Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Home Minister Amit Shah had announced in June.
Haryana Congress’s Bhupinder Hooda had said there was no alliance between his party and the AAP – two major Opposition forces that fought the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana together.
In 2019, the BJP had won 40 seats and formed the government with Dushyant Chautala’s JJP (10 seats). But the alliance ended earlier this year with a change of guard in the BJP as Mr Saini replaced ML Khattar as the Chief Minister. The Congress had ended up in the opposition with 31 seats.
