First Assembly Elections in Jammu & Kashmir in 10 Years: Phase 1 Voting Tomorrow

Sringar: Seven districts in Jammu and Kashmir, located on either side of the Pir Panjal range, will vote in assembly elections for the first time in a decade. Phase 1 of polling will take place on Wednesday in this union territory, following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Over 23 lakh voters are expected to participate, deciding the fate of 219 candidates, including 90 independents. The election will cover 24 assembly constituencies—eight in three districts of Jammu and 16 in four districts of Kashmir.

According to the Election Commission, 23,27,580 eligible voters will participate in this phase, comprising 11,76,462 males, 11,51,058 females, and 60 third-gender voters. Notably, 1.23 lakh young voters (18-19 years), 28,309 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), and 15,774 elderly voters (85+) will also cast their votes.

Polling will take place at 3,276 stations, managed by over 14,000 staff members. Of these, 302 stations are in urban areas, while 2,974 are in rural regions. Security measures include a multi-tiered arrangement involving the Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) and local police.

Key candidates in Kashmir include CPI(M)’s Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Congress’ Ghulam Ahmad Mir, National Conference’s Sakina Itoo, and PDP’s Sartaj Madni. In Bijbehara, PDP’s Iltija Mufti faces a triangular contest against NC’s Bashir Ahmad Veeri and BJP’s Sofi Mohammad Yousuf. In Pulwama, PDP’s Waheed Para, who is implicated in a terror case, faces NC’s Mohammad Khalil Bandh and Talat Majid Alie.

In Jammu, prominent candidates include NC’s Sajjad Kitchloo, BJP’s Sunil Sharma, and Congress’ Vikar Rasool Wani. Additionally, former MLAs Daleep Singh Parihar and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, along with independent candidate Pyare Lal Sharma and BJP rebels Rakesh Goswami and Suraj Singh Parihar, are also in the race.

The Phase 1 constituencies include Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Shopian, Kulgam, Anantnag, Bijbehara, Inderwal, Kishtwar and others.