For the first time since the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019,  the Election Commission (EC) on Friday announced Assembly elections to Jammu and Kashmir in three phases with the first phase to be held on September 18, second on September 25 and third phase on October 1.  Results will be announced on October 4.

This will be the shortest elections in at least the last two decades in the region. The phase of the J&K election is significant, given that over the last two decades, due to the region’s security concerns, polls have consistently been held in at least four phases or more.

J&K has been without an elected House for five years now. The last election was held in undivided J&K in 2014. This marks a big step forward in efforts to meet a Supreme Court order — that democracy return to Jammu and the Kashmir Valley by September 30.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah welcomed the announcement of Assembly elections there and said the polls will further strengthen the roots of democracy and open the doors to a new period of development for the region. Shah also appealed to the people of J&K to actively participate in the elections and vote in large numbers to form a Government that will sustain peace and development, and ensure a brighter future for the youth.

“I welcome the announcement of the Assembly elections in J&K made by the Election Commission of India today. In the last 10 years, the Modi Govt through a series of relentless initiatives, has created a new era of peace, development and strengthening democracy in J&K,” he wrote on ‘X’.

Almost all the parties, including National Conference, Congress, BJP, CPI(M) and DPAP, thanked the Election Commission and said the poll announcement maintained the supremacy of the Supreme Court which had set the September 30 deadline for the holding of the much awaited Assembly elections in J&K.  There are 90 seats in the Assembly of J&K post delimitation, with 43 seats in the Jammu region and 47 in Kashmir. Of these, 74 are general seats, nine are for Scheduled Caste candidates, and seven for Scheduled Tribes.

Announcing the schedule for the J&K Assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar told a Press conference in New Delhi the three-phase elections to the 90-member J&K Assembly will be held on September 18, September 25 and October 1.

The announcement comes a week after CEC along with Election Commissioners, visited the Union Territory. Kumar said elections will be held in J&K after a long time.

“The people want change... they want to script a new future,” Kumar said, as he outlined the poll body’s plans to hold a safe and successful election in J&K.

“We recently visited J&K to take stock of election preparation. Great enthusiasm was seen... people want to participate in the process. People want elections as early as possible...” he said, recalling the “long queues” at polling booths in J&K and Ladakh during the Lok Sabha election.

Asked about the decision to hold polls in just three phases, Kumar said the choice was deliberately made to keep the process short, considering the Commission’s experience during the Lok Sabha polls, which were criticised for being inordinately long.

“In true spirit of keeping that promise, we present the shorter election period in the best possible and conducive environment,” he said.

He added that the Commission will ensure due security for all candidates in J&K as requested by political parties.

In 2002, polls were conducted over four phases in September and October. In 2008, elections were held in seven phases in November and December; and in 2014, they were conducted in five phases. Notably, all three election cycles were for the state before bifurcation. In August 2019, the Union government carved out the Union Territory of Ladakh from Jammu & Kashmir. The erstwhile state had 111 seats – 46 in Kashmir, 37 in Jammu, and four in Ladakh.

Jammu and Kashmir has 87.09 lakh eligible electorates with an equal percentage of males and females, said the CEC, adding that the total number of polling stations will be over 11,800. Among the total voters, 44.46 lakh are male, 42.62 are female and 3.71 lakh are first time voters. Average voters per polling station is 735, showed the EC data. The final electoral roll will be published on August 20.

According to the timeline shared by the poll body, a gazette notification will be issued on September 9. The last date for making nominations for Phase I is August 27, while the last date for withdrawing candidatures is August 30. Polling for Phase I will be held on September 18. In December last year, the Supreme Court directed the central government to conclude the election process in the Union territory by September 30, 2024.

With the announcement of the poll schedule, the focus has now immediately shifted towards making elaborate security arrangements in the region, especially in the backdrop of a surge in incidents of terrorist violence across the Jammu region and parts of Kashmir valley.

After the Lok Sabha polls witnessed around 59 per cent voter turnout, the highest ever in the last 35 years in Jammu and Kashmir, the Election Commission authorities are upbeat and aiming to further improve the overall voter turnout in the Assembly polls.

To instil confidence among the electorate the election commission is going to deploy additional paramilitary troops to keep terrorists at bay and prevent disruption in the poll process.

In the recent Lok Sabha polls the Election Commission had sanctioned deployment of over 600 companies of the Central Paramilitary forces to ensure peaceful conduct of the polls.

Before announcing the poll schedule the Election Commission in a high-level meeting with the Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla had discussed the detailed proposal related to the deployment of security forces in the region. It is learnt the Union Home Secretary had committed deployment of additional companies given the prevailing security situation.

Meanwhile, welcoming the announcement of Assembly polls former Chief Minister and Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Omar Abdullah Friday said, “I have pressure from Party to Contest elections as Party President Dr Farooq Abdullah is ailing. I will take a call on this soon. He also urged the Election Commission to look into the massive reshuffle of IAS/IPS/IFS/KAS officers ahead of the announcement of the poll schedule.

At least 156 IAS, IPS, JKAS and JKPS officers including five DCs and ten district SSPs have been reshuffled in the last 24 hours. The Union Home Ministry is also rushing Special DGP Nalin Prabhat to Jammu and Kashmir. The UT administration also shifted the CID chief ahead of the announcement of polls.

On ground zero, the security forces are faced with a challenging situation in the areas south of Pir Panjal and the hilly districts of Doda, Kishtwar,Udhampur,Kathua, Reasi and Ramban.

Additional CAPFs will be deployed in the entire Kashmir valley and twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu region for sanitization operations and strengthening the anti-militancy grid to prevent fresh terrorist strikes aimed at vitiating the political atmosphere in the UT during the Assembly elections.

J&K Police will also mobilize its reserved battalions of JKAP and IRP for election duties excepting those which are posted on security-related duties for anti-militancy operations.