Jammu & Kashmir is headed for the shortest election in the last two decades, with the Election Commission announcing a three-phase poll for the Union Territory. There are 90 seats in the J&K assembly post-delimitation, with 43 seats in the Jammu region and 47 in Kashmir. Voters in these constituencies will cast their votes on September 18, 25, and October 1, with the results to be announced on October 4.
Of these, 74 are general seats, nine are for Scheduled Caste candidates, and seven for Scheduled Tribes. The number of voters in the UT is 87.09 lakh, with 44.46 lakh men and 42.62 lakh women. The final electoral roll will be published on August 20.
The phasing of the J&K election is significant, given that over the last two decades, polls have consistently been held in at least four or more phases due to the region’s security concerns.
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.
It is important to note that all three election cycles were for the state before bifurcation. In August 2019, the Union government carved out the Union Territory of Ladakh from J&K. The erstwhile state had 111 seats – 46 in Kashmir, 37 in Jammu, and four in Ladakh.
Even so, considering the recent terror attacks and the expectation of more candidates than usual, the decision to hold polls over three phases comes as a surprise.
The phasing of an election depends on a number of factors. The more challenging a state is, particularly in terms of its security situation, the more the EC prefers to spread voting over an increased number of phases. This allows for the deployment of an adequate number of security personnel for each phase and gives them enough time to move between regions.
For instance, states affected by left-wing extremism, like Chhattisgarh, or regions with a history of militancy, like J&K, typically hold elections over multiple phases.
Speaking about the decision to hold polls in J&K, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar recalled the successful conduct of Lok Sabha polls in the UT and the enthusiasm witnessed during the Commission’s visit to J&K on August 8 and 9. “We saw great enthusiasm to participate in democracy. All political parties and stakeholders were hopeful polls would be held early in the state. We are here today to fulfill and take that hope forward,” he told reporters.
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 criticized for being inordinately long.
J&K has been without an elected House for five years now. The last election was held in 2014. Elections are being held in the wake of the Supreme Court’s December ruling last year, setting a deadline of September 30 for assembly polls to be held in J&K.
Elections will be held in Haryana in a single phase on October 1, with the results to be announced on October 4.