As counting of votes in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections began on Tuesday morning, the National Conference and Congress alliance showed gains on 37 seats out of the 47 seats in the Kashmir region and the BJP took lead on 27 out of 43 seats in the Jammu region in the early trends.As per Election Commission of India trends, NC and Congress are leading on 37 seats, PDP 4, BJP 1 and others on 5 seats in the Srinagar region.
In the Jammu region, the BJP was leading on 27, the NC and Congress alliance was ahead on 11 seats and others on 5.
Omar Abdullah, the NC vice president is leading from both Ganderbal and Budgam seats. Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Ilija Mufti is trailing from Srigufwara- Bijbehara seat. PC chairman Sajad Lone is leading from Handwar, while trailing in Kupwara.
Counting of votes for the 90 Assembly segments in Jammu and Kashmir began simultaneously in Srinagar and Jammu at 8 am. The political fate of 873 candidates, including 43 women, will be decided on Tuesday.
These election results will mark a significant moment, paving the way for the Union Territory’s first elected government since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and the downgrading of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories.
Officials said that all necessary arrangements had been made to ensure a fair and transparent counting process, with heightened security measures implemented around the 28 counting centres located across the 20 districts of the Union Territory.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) J&K, Pandurang K Pole said that comprehensive security arrangements have been made for the counting and three-tier security cover is in place around counting centres.
The NC and Congress contested in alliance, with Congress fielding candidates in 33 seats and NC in 52. The two parties were engaged in a “friendly fight” over five seats, with one seat each given to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party. Both NC and Congress are part of the Opposition INDIA alliance .
The PDP fielded candidates for all seats, while the BJP contested 62, with 19 candidates in the Kashmir valley. Independents formed the largest group, with 346 candidates running.
In the 2014 Assembly elections, the PDP emerged as the single largest party, winning 28 seats. It later formed a coalition government with the BJP. However, in June 2018, the BJP withdrew its support, leading to the collapse of the coalition and placing Jammu and Kashmir under Central rule.
This is the first assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade, held in three phases. Voter turnout was recorded at 63.45 percent, slightly lower than the 65.52 percent turnout in the 2014 elections.
The first phase,held on September 18, covered 24 seats; the second phase, on September 25, covered 26 seats; and the third and final phase, on October 1, included the remaining 40 seats. Unlike past elections, which saw incidents of violence, this election was peaceful, with no untoward incidents reported.
Exit polls have indicated that the NC-Congress alliance may have an edge over the BJP in the Hung Assembly.
