Omar Abdullah Prepares for Jammu and Kashmir Elections Starting September 18

Omar Abdullah, Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), announced on Sunday that preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections are underway. The elections are scheduled to be held in three phases starting from September 18.

Election Preparations

Following the Election Commission’s announcement on August 16, Omar Abdullah stated, “Two days have not yet passed after the announcement. Give us some time, we have begun our preparations. On August 20, the notification will be issued for the first phase. Following this, we will announce the names of our candidates and hope for a victory.”

Comments on BJP

Omar Abdullah also commented on the BJP’s recent performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where the party won 240 seats despite its slogan of ‘400 Paar’. He said, “It would be better if the BJP doesn’t talk about over-confidence. We only said that we were hoping to receive the support of the people and get a chance to form the government. We are not counting the number of seats. The BJP has always counted the number (seats) here.”

New Member Joins JKNC

In another development, former MLC Javid Mirchal from Karnal joined the National Conference in the presence of Farooq Abdullah at their residence in Gupkar, Srinagar. Omar Abdullah praised Mirchal, saying, “It is the good fortune of the National Conference that a leader like Javaid Mirchal who is connected to the public, has a deep relationship with his voters and people, is joining the National Conference today. It is a big thing that Javaid Mirchal came to the National Conference but did not put any conditions.”

Election Details

The polling in the Union Territory will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, with the counting of votes on October 4. These are the first elections to be held in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kashmir in March and announced development packages to boost agriculture and tourism. The election body has directed enforcement agencies to ensure impartial and transparent polling.

Voter Statistics

There are a total of 90 assembly constituencies, with 87.09 lakh total electors, including 44.46 lakh males, 42.62 lakh females, 169 transgender individuals, 82,590 PwDs, 73,943 very senior citizens, 2,660 centenarians, 76,092 service electors, and 3.71 lakh first-time voters. Jammu and Kashmir will witness elections after a gap of ten years, as the last assembly election was held in 2014. The PDP-BJP coalition government fell in June 2018 when the latter withdrew support to the then-Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti. In December of last year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024.