Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases starting September 18, while Haryana will head to polls on October 1, Election Commission of India announced on Friday.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital on Friday, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, “Elections in J&K will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1; counting of votes will be held on October 4.”
He said Haryana will head to polls in one-phase elections on October 1 and the date for counting of votes will be same as that of Jammu and Kashmir (October 4).
He said the electoral rolls in J&K will be published on August 20 and in Haryana on August 27.
Kumar said there are 3.7 lakh first time voters in Jammu and Kashmir.
“There are a total of 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, of which 74 are general, SC-7 and ST-9. There will be a total of 87.09 lakh voters in Jammu and Kashmir, of which 44.46 lakh are males, 42.62 lakh are females, 3.71 lakh are first-time voters and 20.7 lakh are young voters. The Amarnath Yatra will end on August 19 and the final voter list will also be published on August 20,” said the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
On August 14, the Election Commission held a meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
In December last year, the Supreme Court had directed the Centre to conclude the election process in the Union territory by September 30, 2024.
“We recently visited Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana to take stock of the election preparation in these places. A great enthusiasm was seen among the people. They wanted to participate in the election process. People want elections to be conducted there as early as possible…The long queues at the polling booth in J&K during the Lok Sabha elections are proof that people not only want change but also want to raise their voice by becoming a part of that change. This glimpse of hope and democracy shows that the people want to change the picture. They want to write their own destiny. The people of Jammu and Kashmir chose ballot over bullet in Lok Sabha elections…,” said Kumar.
The term of the Haryana Legislative Assembly will end on November 3 and polls are required to be conducted before the completion of its term.
With inputs from agencies
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Three phase polls in J&K starting September 18, Haryana votes on Oct 1, announces ECI
