The counting of votes for Jammu and Kashmir’s 90 assembly constituencies began at 8 a.m., marking the final stage of an electoral process that will result in an elected government after a six-year hiatus following the collapse of the PDP-BJP regime on June 20, 2018, and the subsequent repeal of Article 370. The majority mark is 46.
Jammu & Kashmir’s first assembly elections since 2014 were held in three phases. The first round, held on September 18, included voting for 24 seats, followed by the second phase on September 25, which covered 26 seats. The third phase, for the remaining 40 seats, began on October 1.
The primary contestants in the highly anticipated election are the Congress-National Conference coalition, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This election also comes five years after Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Commenting on the potential of a post-election alliance, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said on Monday that his party is open to collaborating with Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP if necessary to form the government in the region.
Abdullah also criticized the move to grant the Lieutenant Governor the authority to nominate members to the five reserved seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, stating that his party would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court if the BJP-led central government proceeds with it. Adding the five nominated members would take the strength of the Assembly to 95, making the majority mark 48.
Election Commission officials have implemented a three-tier security arrangement at all counting centres to ensure smooth proceedings in the volatile border union territory, which has long been a hotspot for tensions and has experienced frequent instances of terrorism, insurgency, and cross-border infiltration.
Heavy security arrangements have been put in place at all 20 counting centres and district headquarters across Jammu and Kashmir for Tuesday’s vote count.
J&K Election Result: Parties and seats won/leading
NC-Congress: 52
BJP: 24
People’s Democratic Party (PDP): 5
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Source: HT
