Jammu and Kashmir Prepares for First Phase of Assembly Elections
Officials in Jammu and Kashmir are busy with preparations and mock polls at various polling booths ahead of the first phase of Assembly elections. These activities are taking place in areas like Banihal, Kishtwar, and Jagti Assembly constituencies.
Mock Polls and Preparations
Presiding Officer Ashukta Shaheen from Lachh Khazana-B, FCI Store Kuleed Polling station Number 75, stated, “Mock polling has been completed. All the preparations have been done. The voters can come and cast their votes after 7 AM.”
First Phase Voting
On Wednesday, 24 Assembly constituencies will go to polls, 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, 415 candidates remain in the final fray for phase 3.
Overall Election Details
A total of 873 candidates are contesting across 90 Assembly constituencies. This includes 219 candidates for 24 seats in the first phase, 239 candidates for 26 seats in the second phase, and 415 candidates for 40 seats in the final phase. These elections are significant as they are the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
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 state or Union Territory government.
mock polls -: Mock polls are practice voting sessions to make sure everything works well on the actual election day.
constituencies -: Constituencies are areas that elect one representative to the Assembly. Each area has its own election.
Article 370 -: Article 370 was a special law that gave Jammu and Kashmir more autonomy than other Indian states. It was removed in August 2019.