First Assembly Elections In J&K After Removal Of Article 370 Later This Year, Preparations Underway

Reportedly, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has started preparations for holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Assembly elections will be held for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections: Along with Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, elections will also be held in Jammu and Kashmir in November-December this year. Reportedly, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has started preparations for holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Assembly elections will be held for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Not only this, but if elections are held for the first time, the tenure of the government formed in the state will also be of 5 years. Till now the tenure of the government in the state was for 6 years under the special provision.

Sources related to ECI have told that the delimitation work has been completed and a revised voter list can be issued by October 31. The work of finalizing the polling station is also in the final stage. This too will be completed by next month.

Now the Jammu and Kashmir assembly will have 90 seats

Earlier, the assembly had a total of 87 seats, including Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Ladakh included 4 seats in this, but after making Ladakh a separate union territory, the total number of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly was reduced to 83.

Seven seats have increased after delimitation and with this, the total number of seats has gone up to 90. In this, 43 assembly constituencies have been created in Jammu and 47 in Kashmir. Nine seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).

The election body officials on Sunday said that ECI is gearing up for the conduct of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir as the first-level checking (FLC) of EVMs and VVPATs will be held at a workshop in Srinagar later this month adding that the deputy commissioners of all 10 districts of the Valley and a team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) will participate in the workshop.

“The preparations for the assembly elections are underway. However, the final dates for the conduct of the polls will be decided by the ECI,” an official said.

Jammu and Kashmir has been without an assembly since November 2018 when the then legislative assembly was dissolved by then governor Satya Pal Malik after the PDP-BJP coalition government fell apart earlier that year.

(With agency inputs)