Elections after a decade are of great importance for the new Union Territories. Here's a look at everything you need to know about the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections and why it matters.
Key numbers in Phase 1
- People of Jammu and Kashmir will vote for 24 assembly seats out of total 90 seats.
- 8 out of 24 seats are spread across three districts of Jammu region. 16 seats are in four districts of Kashmir Valley.
- A total of 219 candidates are in the fray, including 90 independents.
- More than 23 lakh voters are eligible to vote in Phase 1. 1.23 lakh youth between the ages of 18 and 19 years.
- 14,000 polling staff will monitor the process at 3,276 polling stations to ensure peaceful conduct of elections.
- High security consists of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces, Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police and multi-tiered forces of Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Voting of Constituencies in Phase 1: Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpura, Zainapura, Shopian, DHpura, Kulgam, Deosar, Doro, Kokarnag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigaffara-Bijbahara, Shingas-Anantnag East, Pahalgam, Andarwal, Kishtwar, Pindargsi Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban and Banhal.
First election after abrogation of Article 370
The assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are significant because the region has undergone remarkable changes in the last decade. This is the first election since the region lost its special status and statehood in 2019.
The abrogation of Article 370, which ended its unique constitutional status and divided it into two Union Territories, has significantly affected the political dynamics of the region. The delimitation process resulted in realignment of constituencies and modification of the reservation system for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, leading to significant changes in the electoral framework of the region.
These developments have had far-reaching effects on the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir, affecting the balance of representation and power between different communities. The impact of these changes on the future electoral process and governance of the region remains to be seen as the newly formed union territories adjust to their changed status and revised electoral arrangements.
Regional parties are fighting for survival.
As the two union territories vote to send 90 representatives to their assembly, it becomes a high-stakes battle for the regional parties as they fight for existence. Regional parties especially Abdullah's National Conference And Mufti's People's Democratic Party (PDP) wants to prove its relevance in the region despite the changing landscape over the past decade.
The two parties, though united by the same goal of restoring the region's special status, remained rivals in the election.
In 2019, after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of it into two Union Territories, a rare political consensus emerged between the NC, PDP, and other political forces that led to the People's Alliance for Gapkar Declaration (PAGD). ) was formed. . In their August 4, 2019 announcement, party leaders pledged to withdraw the decision on special provisions under Article 370 and Article 35-A of the Constitution.
Despite their initial alliance, the PAGD parties struggled to maintain their unity even in the 2020 District Development Council elections, with members contesting against each other on several seats in the Kashmir Valley. The People's Conference, citing “breach of trust” against the NC for fielding proxies, left the alliance in 2021, followed by the Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement (JKPM) in 2022.
NC and PDP contested the 2024 general elections separately. During the 2024 assembly elections, NC's Omar Abdullah, who decided to go into a pre-poll alliance with the Congress, claimed that he never closed the door to an alliance with the PDP. The two parties are also together as part of the opposition India Bloc at the Center against the Modi government.
Litmus test for BJP, Congress looks to increase advantage.
The Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections will also be a litmus test for the BJP and its verdict for the region. Since this is the first election after the abrogation of Article 370, delimitation process and change in statehood, the results will be seen as a direct reflection of this move. However, the BJP has promised to restore the statehood immediately after the elections.
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won two out of five seats and a vote share of 24.36%. NC also got 2 seats with 22.30% vote share and one seat went to Azad.
Earlier in 2019, the BJP had won three of the total six seats with a vote share of 46.67 percent.
Meanwhile, the other major national party, the Congress, is also looking to maintain its Lok Sabha momentum in the assembly polls. The party has tied up with the NC in a pre-poll alliance as part of the India Bloc and will also participate in “friendly fights” in Banhal, Doda and Bhaderwah. Unlike its ally NC, however, the party has refrained from saying anything on the restoration of Article 370 but has promised statehood if elected to power.
Lead candidate in Phase 1
Prominent candidates include Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami of the CPI(M), AICC General Secretary Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Sakina Itu of the National Conference, and Sartaj Madani and Abdul Rahman Vari of the PDP. PDP's Ilja Mufti, who is contesting from Bijbahara, is in a three-way contest with NC's Bashir Ahmad Veri and BJP's Sufi Muhammad Yusuf. The future of PDP's Sartaj Madani (Deosar) and Abdur Rahman Veri (Shangos-Anantnag) is also on the line.
However, all eyes will be on Sri Gaffwara-Bujbahara and Pulwama assembly constituencies where PDP's Ilja Mufti and Waheed Para are contesting the elections respectively.
Ilja Mufti, a third-generation politician in her family, who is contesting for the post from Bijbahara, is pitted against NC's Bashir Ahmed Veri and BJP's Sufi Mohammad Yousaf.
In Jammu region, Sajjad Kuchlu (NC), Khalid Najeed Suhrawardy (NC), Waqar Rasool Wani (Congress), Abdul Majeed Wani (DPAP), Sunil Sharma (BJP), Shakti Raj Parihar (Doda West) and Ghulam. have big names. Mohammad Sarwari
Former MLA Dilip Singh Parihar (BJP), former MLC Firdous Tak and Imtiaz Shan (PDP), NC's Pooja Thakur who is the chairperson of District Development Council Kishtwar, BJP's young face Shagan Parihar. , whose father Ajit Parihar and uncle Anil Parihar were murdered. Terrorist in November 2018, and AAP's Mehrajuddin Malik are among the other prominent faces in the field.
Despite being in an alliance with the National Conference (NC) and the Congress, the two parties have fielded candidates in Banhal, Bhaderwah and Doda in a 'friendly contest', with an independent candidate from Pyara Lal Sharma Andarwal, a rebel NC leader. fighting as BJP rebels Rakesh Goswami and Suraj Singh Parihar are also trying their luck from Ramban and Padar Nagsini constituencies.
(with agency information)