The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Assembly elections for all 90 constituencies were held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The results of the assembly elections will be declared on October 8.
These J&K elections are particularly significant as they are the first since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019, which led to the bifurcation of the former state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The National Conference and Congress entered the elections as a coalition, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contested independently.
The Election Commission has reported an overall voter turnout of 63.88 percent in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, a significant rise compared to the 58.58 percent turnout recorded during the Lok Sabha elections.
The counting of votes will begin at 8 am on October 8 and wrap up at 6 am the same day. The counting process begins with postal ballots, which are reserved for specific groups such as individuals with disabilities, security personnel, and certain government officials involved in essential services.
The counting, supervised by the Returning Officer, takes place at designated government schools and colleges, secured by high-security forces. Following the counting of postal ballots, the votes recorded in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are tallied.
The Election Commission highlighted the overall voter turnout across all phases, with 64.68 percent male participation, 63.04 percent women’s turnout, and 38.24 percent turnout for the third gender.
The final count of votes will be determined after the tally of postal ballots, which include ballots for service voters, absentee voters (those aged 85+, persons with disabilities, and those in essential services), and voters on election duty. According to EC guidelines, a daily account of these ballots is provided to all candidates.
Results will be declared for each constituency as soon as the counting is completed. Under India’s first-past-the-post electoral system, the candidate with the highest number of votes in each constituency will be declared the winner.
