LIVE Updates on Assembly Election Dates: J-K to Vote on Sep 18, 25 & Oct 1; Haryana on Oct 1; Counting on Oct 4

The Election Commission announced on August 16 that assembly elections for 90 seats in Jammu & Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. Both Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir have 90 seats each. Meanwhile, assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand are scheduled to take place later.

In Haryana, the election will be conducted in a single phase on October 1. The results for both elections will be declared on October 4.

In Jammu & Kashmir, the first phase on September 18 will cover 24 seats, the second phase on September 25 will include 26 seats, and the final phase on October 1 will see voting for the remaining 40 seats.

The Election Commission recently visited both Jammu & Kashmir and Haryana to review preparations for the 2024 Assembly elections.

BJP vs Congress: Haryana’s Upcoming Political Battle

The current term of Haryana’s legislative assembly ends in November, setting the stage for an intense political showdown between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party and formed the government in a post-poll alliance with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) and seven Independent MLAs. 

Manohar Lal Khattar from the BJP was sworn in as Chief Minister, with JJP President Dushyant Chautala as the Deputy Chief Minister. However, Khattar has since resigned and now serves as a minister in the Modi 3.0 government, and Chautala exited the alliance just before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

With both the BJP and Congress securing five seats each in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana are expected to be highly competitive.

First Assembly Elections Since 2014 in Jammu & Kashmir

Jammu & Kashmir is set to hold its first assembly elections since 2014, following a Supreme Court directive that set a deadline of September 30, 2024, for conducting polls in the Union Territory.

Jammu & Kashmir has been under Central rule since June 19, 2018, after the coalition government led by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) under Mehbooba Mufti collapsed when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its support.

Since the bifurcation of Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories—Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh—in August 2019, and the abrogation of Article 370, assembly elections were delayed due to various reasons, including the completion of the delimitation process in 2022.

In December last year, the Supreme Court directed the central government to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024.

INDIA Bloc Partners Set for a Showdown in Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Elections

The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) and the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP), two key regional parties in the Union Territory, are set to face each other in the upcoming assembly polls. The JKNC is led by former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, while the JKPDP is headed by former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Despite being part of the INDIA bloc, both parties have decided to contest the assembly elections without a pre-poll alliance. Earlier this year, the two parties also competed against each other for the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw an improved voter turnout across all five parliamentary seats in Jammu and Kashmir, setting the stage for an intriguing assembly election battle.