A seven-phase assembly polls for Jammu and Kashmir from November 17-December 24 has been announced Sunday. Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami announcing the schedule of voting said the identification of the voters at the time of poll through electors’ photo identity cards (EPIC) would be mandatory.
The counting of votes will be on December 28 and the election procedure will be completed by December 31.
The Model Code of Conduct comes into effect immediately from now onwards.
The CEC advised all the residual electors to obtain their photo identity card from the elector registration officers of their Assembly constituencies. So far, the Photo I-Card has been issued to sixty-eight percent electors only.
In the first phase, 10 Assembly constituencies would go to the polls on November 17. In the second phase, six constituencies will have polls on November 23. Elections for third phase will be held for five constituencies on November 30; for fourth phase, 18 constituencies on December 7; for fifth phase elections will be held in 11 constituencies on December 13.
In the sixth and seventh phases, elections will be held for 16 and 21 constituencies on December 17 and 24 respectively.
The State has 87 Assembly constituencies, including seven reserved for Scheduled Castes. A total of 65,38,111 electors are eligible to exercise their franchise through 8,109 polling stations to be set up in various areas of the State.
Gopalaswami said the commission decided to hold elections to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir after detailed consultations and prepared the schedule after keeping into account all relevant aspects like the climatic conditions, academic schedules, festivals, prevailing law and order situation in the State, availability of Central Police Forces, time needed for movement and proper deployment of forces, and assessment of other ground realities.
Critical events during the election process and polling at the vulnerable polling booths will be video graphed and digital cameras will be deployed inside the booths wherever needed.
The Commission will also deploy observers to keep a close watch on electoral process to ensure smooth conduct of free and fair elections.
Earlier on October 14, the Election Commission announced schedule of assembly elections in November and December for five states- Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Mizoram; but was undecided over Jammu and Kashmir owing to unrest in the state.
Jammu and Kashmir, which is under President’s rule since July 11, 2008 after PDP pulled out support from the Congress-PDP alliance over the Amarnath land row needs to have a new assembly by January 10, as President Rule comes to an end on January 9.
Meanwhile Yaseen Malik, Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), has called for a poll boycott, saying elections are not a solution to the issue rather it is imperative to resolve the Kashmir issue first.
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