Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections Announced
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar’s Announcement
The Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, announced that the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases. The first phase will be on September 18, the second on September 25, and the third on October 1. The votes will be counted on October 4.
Important Dates
| Phase | Date |
|---|---|
| First Phase | September 18 |
| Second Phase | September 25 |
| Third Phase | October 1 |
| Vote Counting | October 4 |
Nominations for the first phase are due on August 27, for the second phase on September 5, and for the third phase on September 12.
Background
The elections follow a Supreme Court directive to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024. This will be the first assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir in ten years, as the last one was held in 2014. The PDP-BJP coalition government fell in June 2018 when the BJP withdrew support from then-Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
Security and Participation
The Election Commission held a meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to review the security situation. There are 90 assembly constituencies, with a total of 87.09 lakh electors, including first-time voters, senior citizens, and PwDs. Directions were given to ensure free and fair elections.
Doubts Revealed
Jammu and Kashmir -: Jammu and Kashmir is a region in northern India. It used to be a state but is now a Union Territory.
Assembly elections -: Assembly elections are when people vote to choose their representatives in the legislative assembly, which makes laws for the region.
Chief Election Commissioner -: The Chief Election Commissioner is the head of the Election Commission of India, which is responsible for conducting elections in the country.
Rajiv Kumar -: Rajiv Kumar is the current Chief Election Commissioner of India, the person in charge of overseeing elections.
phases -: Phases mean that the elections will happen in parts, not all at once. Each phase is a different date when people can vote.
vote counting -: Vote counting is when officials count all the votes to see who won the election.
nominations -: Nominations are when people who want to run in the election officially sign up to be candidates.
Supreme Court directive -: A Supreme Court directive is an order given by the Supreme Court, the highest court in India, which everyone must follow.
Union Territory -: A Union Territory is a type of region in India that is directly governed by the Central Government, unlike states which have their own governments.
