What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Vote counting for Jammu and Kashmir’s Assembly elections begins Tuesday under tight security, with results expected by evening. This is the first election since the region’s special status was revoked in 2019, and exit polls suggest the National Conference-Congress alliance is slightly ahead of the BJP.
SRINAGAR: The anticipation of the Assembly election results in Jammu and Kashmir will end on Tuesday as the vote counting for 90 constituencies across 20 districts will commence under heavy security protocols. Officials estimate that all results will be finalized by the evening.
Security measures comparable to those employed during the elections will be enforced throughout the Union Territory on counting day. Authorities prepare for potential victory parades by winning candidates and their respective political parties. “There will be no relaxation in security until the results are fully announced and the electoral process concludes by October 10,” officials informed The New Indian.
According to the officials, votes will be counted district-wise for the Assembly seats within their respective regions. Only certified agents representing the candidates and designated counting staff will be permitted entry into the counting centres. As the process unfolds, the vote tally for each candidate will be publicly announced after every round of counting via public address systems stationed outside the counting centres.
READ ALSO: 2024 Jammu & Kashmir elections is final referendum
This Assembly election marks the first in Jammu and Kashmir since the revocation of its special status under Article 370 in August 2019. The last Assembly polls, held in 2014, resulted in an unusual coalition between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed serving as Chief Minister. However, the alliance dissolved in 2018, and Jammu and Kashmir has been under central governance since.
These elections, the first since Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory, saw a voter turnout of 63.45%, slightly lower than the 65.52% recorded in 2014. Voting was conducted in three phases, beginning on September 18 when 24 seats were contested. The second phase on September 25 involved 26 seats, while the final phase on October 1 covered the remaining 40 seats.
In the lead-up to the results, exit polls by Axis My India have suggested a fragmented assembly, with the National Conference-Congress alliance positioned slightly ahead of the BJP. Predictions estimate the NC-Congress coalition winning 35-45 seats, while the BJP is expected to secure 24-34 seats. The majority threshold to form a government in the Union Territory stands at 46, and none of the predicted outcomes reach that number.
READ ALSO: Soldier killed in terrorist attack on Jammu military base
The BJP, which won 25 seats in the 2014 elections, is forecasted to improve marginally this time around. Meanwhile, the PDP, which had secured 28 seats a decade ago, is expected to see a significant decline, with exit polls predicting fewer than 10 seats.
Newer and smaller parties, including the People’s Conference, Apni Party, Democratic Azad Party of Ghulam Nabi Azad, and Awami Ittehad Party led by MP Sheikh Abdul Rashid, along with independent candidates, are collectively expected to win around 10 seats, according to the exit polls.
