Polling will go to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections today in the first phase. Polling will be held in 24 assembly seats in the state on Wednesday. Of these, 16 seats are from Kashmir and 8 seats are from Jammu. In this phase, the 4 districts of south Kashmir; voting will be held today in Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag and Kulgam. Polling will be held in three remote hill districts of Jammu, including Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban.
The voting for the assembly elections to be held in the state after a decade will begin at 7 am and end at 6 pm. Tight security measures have been put in place for the first phase of voting. Besides, the Election Commission has made special arrangements for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits. Special voting centres have been set up in Delhi, Jammu and Udhampur for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits. For the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, four special voting centres have been set up in Delhi, 19 in Jammu and one in Udhampur.
Voting for 24 seats in 7 constituencies
Voting will be held in 24 assembly constituencies in seven districts on Wednesday to decide the fate of 219 candidates in the first phase.
Article 370 remains an emotional issue in the country
The people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially those in the Kashmir Valley region, are still hurt by the abrogation of Article 370. They are yet to agree on the modalities for the abrogation of the special status. Article 370 remains an emotive issue in the state elections. The issue has also figured in the manifestos of regional political parties. Like the NC and PDP, Engineer Rashid’s entire campaign has also revolved around restoration of Article 370.
Issues such as roads, water, electricity, etc. are challenges faced by political parties.
Like any election across the country, basic development issues including lack of better roads, electricity, water etc. are at the centre of discussions in Jammu and Kashmir. But unemployment and lack of power are the two biggest issues in the state. Power supply is the main cause of suffering for people, especially in winters. Once the temperature goes below zero, the problems increase due to deep power outages. Even the corporate world is facing this problem and it is increasing year by year.
The locals are demanding the return of the power projects run by NHPC in Jammu and Kashmir. This demand has found a place in the manifestos of both NC and PDP. Apart from this, another big issue is the unemployment that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are facing. The manifestos of various parties, including the Congress, have mentioned the increase in the number of unemployed youth. The Congress claims that these figures are the highest in 45 years.
Six Kashmiri Pandits are contesting in the first phase of elections.
Let us tell you that 6 candidates from the Kashmiri Pandit community are contesting in the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir elections. Sanjay Saraf is contesting from the Anantnag seat as the candidate of the LJSP, while Veer Saraf of the BJP, MK Yogi of the party and Independent MP Dilip Pandita are contesting from the Shangas-Anantnag seat. Rosie Raina and Arun Raina are contesting from the Rajpora and Pulwama seats as the candidates of the Indian Republican Party and the National Congress Party respectively. In the first phase, about 23.27 lakh voters, including 5.66 lakh youths, will decide the fate of 219 candidates.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti (37) is contesting from Srigufwara-Bijbehara and AICC general secretary and two-time minister Ghulam Ahmed Mir is contesting from Duru. Four-time MLA and veteran CPIM leader MY Tarigami is contesting from Kulgam, former minister and Congress leader Pirzada Sayeed is contesting from Anantnag and NC’s Sakina Itu Damhal is contesting from Hanji Pora.
The first step is important
Experts say the first phase will determine the course of the entire election in Jammu and Kashmir. With more than 2.3 million voters in this phase alone, including 1.23 lakh youth voters (18-19 years old), political parties are stepping up efforts to win support.
After voting on the 25th and 1st
Voting will be held in three phases in Jammu and Kashmir. The first phase of voting will be held on September 18, the second phase on September 25, and the third phase on October 1. The results of all these phases will be announced on October 8. There are 13 major political parties vying for a majority in the 90-seat parliament. Among the regional parties, the People’s Democratic Party led by Mehbooba Mufti and the Nationalist Congress led by Omar Abdullah are particularly competitive in this election. The National Conference has also formed an alliance with the main opposition party in India, the Congress Party, while the BJP has a strong base in Jammu.
The country’s politics have changed a lot
Jammu and Kashmir has undergone important changes since 2019. With the abrogation of Article 370, the state’s special status ended and the state was bifurcated into two union territories, which had a profound impact on the region’s political landscape. The demarcation reshaped the borders and changed the reservation policy for scheduled castes and tribes.
The political environment was tense in the first stage
The first phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir reflected a tense political environment, including candidate withdrawals, a gender gap and fierce competition between the region’s major political parties. Although the gender imbalance and regional politics still dominate, the increase in the number of voters could be a sign of democratic progress.
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