Jammu and Kashmir Begins First Phase of Assembly Elections Amid Tight Security
The first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections started on Wednesday with tight security arrangements. Voting began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm, according to the Election Commission of India.
A total of 24 Assembly constituencies are going to polls in this phase, with 16 seats in the Kashmir region and 8 seats in the Jammu region. Initially, 486 candidates filed their nomination papers, but after scrutiny and withdrawals, 219 candidates remain in the fray for the first phase.
Overall, 873 candidates are contesting in the Assembly Elections for 90 constituencies. The second and third phases of polling will be held on September 25 and October 1, respectively, with vote counting scheduled for October 8.
This election is significant as it is the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Major political parties participating include the Congress and National Conference, who are in alliance, as well as the PDP, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and People’s Conference.
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 local leaders who will make decisions for their area.
Tight Security -: Tight security means there are many police and security forces to keep everyone safe during the elections.
Constituencies -: Constituencies are areas that each elect one representative to the assembly.
Abrogation of Article 370 -: Abrogation of Article 370 means that a special law giving Jammu and Kashmir more autonomy was removed in 2019.
Congress -: Congress is one of the major political parties in India.
National Conference -: National Conference is a political party mainly active in Jammu and Kashmir.
PDP -: PDP stands for People’s Democratic Party, another political party in Jammu and Kashmir.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party, a major political party in India.
People’s Conference -: People’s Conference is a political party in Jammu and Kashmir.
