J-K Election, Phase 1: The first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections is set to commence on Wednesday, September 18. This phase will see voting in 24 out of the 90 constituencies, covering both Kashmir and Jammu divisions. The outcome of this crucial phase will determine the fate of 219 candidates, as over 23.27 lakh voters, including 5.66 lakh young voters, head to the polls.
This phase marks the first assembly elections in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, which ended the state’s special status and restructured it into two Union territories.
The constituencies up for election in this phase include significant seats such as Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Anantnag, Pahalgam, and Ramban. In total, the first phase will cover 16 assembly constituencies in the Kashmir Division and 8 in the Jammu Division. Specifically, the Kashmir Division constituencies are Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, DH Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, and Pahalgam. The Jammu Division will see voting in Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban, and Banihal.
J-K Election, Phase 1: Key Candidates
Notably, the BJP is not contesting in the eight seats of this phase, and the PDP is also abstaining from certain seats. The National Conference (NC) and Congress, despite being in alliance, will engage in friendly contests. The BJP's campaign strategy has focused on the Jammu region, while Congress has balanced its efforts between Kashmir and Jammu.
| Assembly Seats | BJP | Congress/CPIM | PDP | NC |
| 1. Pampore | Er. Syed Showkat Gayoor Andrabi | --- | Zakhoor Ahmad Mir | Hasnain Massodi |
| 2. Tral | No Candidate | Surinder Singh Channi | Rafiq Ahmad Ik | --- |
| 3. Pulwama | No Candidate | --- | Waheed-ur Rehman Parra | Mohammad Khalil Bandh |
| 4. Rajpora | Arshid Bhat | --- | Syed Bashir Ahmed | Syed Bashir Ahmed |
| 5. Zainapora | No Candidate | --- | Ghulam Mohiuddin Wani | Showkat Ahmad Ganai |
| 6. Shopian | Jawed Ahmad Qadri | --- | Yawar Shafi Shafi | Sheikh Mohammad Rafi |
| 7. D.H. Pora | No Candidate | Sakina Ittoo | Gulzar Ahmad Dar | --- |
| 8. Kulgam | No Candidate | Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami - CPIM |
Mohd Amin Dar | --- |
| 9. Devsar | No Candidate | Amanullah Mantoo | Sartaj Ahmad Madani | --- |
| 10. Dooru | No Candidate | Ghulam Ahmad Mir | Mohd Ashraf Malik | --- |
| 11. Kokernag (ST) | Ch. Roshan Hussain Gujjar | --- | Haroon Rashid Khata | Zafar Ali Khatana |
| 12. Anantnag West | Mohd Rafiq Wani | --- | --- | Abdul Majeed Larmi |
| 13. Anantnag | Adv. Syed Wazahat | Peerzada Mohd Syed | Mehboob Beg | --- |
| 14. Srigufwara - Bijbehara | Sofi Yousuf | --- | Iltija Mufti | Bashir Ahmad Veeri |
| 15. Shangus - Anantnag East | Veer Saraf | --- | Abdul Rehman Veeri | Reyaz Ahmad Khan |
| 16. Pahalgam | No Candidates | --- | Shabir Ahmad Sediqui | Altaf Ahmad Kaloo |
| 17. Inderwal | Tariq Keen | Sheikh Zafarullah | Hussain Sheikh | --- |
| 18. Kishtwar | Shagun Parihar | --- | Firdous Ahmad Tak | Sajad Kichloo |
| 19. Padder - Nagseni | Sunil Sharma | --- | Sandesh Kumar | Pooja Thakur |
| 20. Bhadarwah | Daleep Singh Parihar | Nadeem Sharief | No candidate | Mehboob Iqbal |
| 21. Doda | Gajay Singh Rana | Sheikh Riyaz | Mansoor Ahmed Batt | Khalid Najeeb Soharwardy |
| 22. Doda West | Shakti Raj Parihar | Pradeep Kumar Bhagat | --- | --- |
| 23. Ramban | Rakesh Thakur | --- | --- | Arjun Singh Raju |
| 24. Banihal | Salim Bhat | Vikar Rasool Wani | Imtiaz Ahmed Shan | Sajad Shaheen |
Notable figures in the fray include former ministers Sajjad Kitchloo (NC), Khalid Najid Suharwardy (NC), Vikar Rasool Wani (Congress), Abdul Majid Wani (DPAP), Muhammad Yusuf Tarigami (CPIM), and Sunil Sharma (BJP). Additionally, Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, a three-time MLA, is running as an independent after being denied a ticket by DPAP. Both the National Conference and Congress have fielded candidates in a friendly contest in Banihal, Bhaderwah, and Doda, while some rebel candidates from various parties are also making their bid.
The election will see a total of 3,276 polling stations established to facilitate the voting process. These include special stations designed to enhance voter participation, such as women-only Pink stations, PwD-manned stations, youth-manned stations, and Green Polling Stations.
Of the 23.27 lakh eligible voters, 11.76 lakh are male, 11.51 lakh are female, and 60 are third-gender voters. Youth voters, aged 18 to 29, number 5.66 lakh, including 1.23 lakh first-time voters aged 18 to 19. The phase will also see participation from 28,309 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and 15,774 voters above the age of 85.
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Jammu-Kashmir Election Campaigning
The campaign period, which concluded on Monday, saw a flurry of activity from major political parties, with prominent leaders from the BJP and Congress intensifying their efforts on the last day.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spearheaded the BJP's campaign, addressing three back-to-back rallies in the Kishtwar and Ramban districts on Monday. The BJP's focus was on the Jammu region, promoting their vision of 'Naya Kashmir' and cautioning voters about potential terrorism risks if the National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance were to come to power. Shah's final push came as part of his second visit to the region in a fortnight. During his earlier visit on September 6 and 7, he released the BJP’s manifesto for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections and addressed a workers convention.
In contrast, the Congress launched its manifesto titled "Haath Badlega Halaat" (Hand Will Change the Situation) on Monday. This manifesto promises comprehensive welfare measures, including 100 per cent crop insurance against natural calamities. The Congress campaign aimed to balance their presence between the Kashmir valley and Jammu.
National Conference President Farooq Abdullah and PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti largely concentrated their efforts in Kashmir, leaving candidates in Chenab Valley with limited support, according to news agency PTI.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti released her party's manifesto in August, emphasising resolution and reconciliation in Jammu and Kashmir, especially after the abrogation of Article 370, also promising to restore the legislation. The National Conference manifesto promised to repeal the Public Safety Act (PSA), 1 lakh jobs, 6 free cylinders to EWS category and free travel for women in public transport.
The Aam Aadmi Party, Apni Party, and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) have also been active in campaigning, though senior leaders like DPAP Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad were absent from the campaign due to health issues.