Congress Finalizes Candidates for Jammu and Kashmir Elections
The Congress Party held a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on Monday at its headquarters in New Delhi to finalize candidates for the remaining seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The meeting was chaired by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, with key leaders like Rahul Gandhi and KC Venugopal in attendance.
After the meeting, Congress leader TS Singh Deo stated, “The party has already declared nine candidates for the J&K Assembly elections. Today, we discussed 29 assembly seats. The list will be out soon.” Congress leader Ambika Soni added, “Apart from three seats, all the seats were decided today; the second list will be out soon.”
The first list of nine candidates was announced on August 27, with prominent leaders like Ghulam Ahmad Mir contesting from Dooru and Vikar Rasool Wani from Banihal. The National Conference (NC) will contest 51 of the 90 seats, and the Congress will contest 32. They will also contest five seats against each other, leaving one seat each for the CPI(M) and the Panthers Party. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has extended its support to the Congress and NC alliance.
Jammu and Kashmir has 90 assembly constituencies, with 7 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs). According to the Election Commission of India, there are 88.06 lakh eligible electors. In the previous elections, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the NC won 15, and the Congress won 12. The upcoming elections will be the first since the abrogation of Article 370.
Doubts Revealed
Congress Party -: The Congress Party is one of the major political parties in India. It was founded in 1885 and has played a significant role in India’s history.
Central Election Committee -: The Central Election Committee is a group within the Congress Party that decides who will be the candidates for elections.
New Delhi -: New Delhi is the capital city of India. It is where many important government meetings and decisions take place.
Jammu and Kashmir -: Jammu and Kashmir is a region in northern India. It has its own assembly where elected representatives make decisions for the area.
Assembly elections -: Assembly elections are when people vote to choose their representatives in the state assembly, which makes laws and decisions for the state.
Mallikarjun Kharge -: Mallikarjun Kharge is the President of the Congress Party. He leads the party and makes important decisions.
Rahul Gandhi -: Rahul Gandhi is a senior leader in the Congress Party. He is the son of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
KC Venugopal -: KC Venugopal is a senior leader in the Congress Party. He helps in making important decisions for the party.
National Conference -: The National Conference is another political party in Jammu and Kashmir. They also participate in elections to represent people in the assembly.
Article 370 -: Article 370 was a special law that gave Jammu and Kashmir more autonomy than other states in India. It was removed in 2019.