After witnessing remarkable voter turnout in Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar has hinted at the probability of Assembly elections in the erstwhile state as soon as possible. The development comes at a time when Srinagar and Baramulla seats in J&K has witnessed the highest voting percentage with 38% and 59% record polling, respectively.


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“The highly successful conduct of polls with impressive turnout in Srinagar and Baramulla gives the Election Commission the confidence to hold Assembly polls in J&K at the earliest," CEC Rajiv Kumar told the Indian Express on Monday. 


Jammu and Kashmir is currently governed by a Lieutenant Governor (L-G), who is appointed by the Central Government. This arrangement has been running since 2018. In December 2023, the Apex Court ordered the Election Commission of India to conduct the assembly polls in the Union Territory by September this year. 


Voter Turnout In Lok Sabha Polls 2024 


Srinagar went to poll in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 13. This marked the first major election in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. A total of 41% of voters exercised their right to vote, raising the voting percentage to its highest since the 1996 general elections.


Similarily, in the fifth phase on May 20, Baramulla recorded a remarkable 59% turnout, the highest in many decades. 


Key leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have praised the noteworthy voter turnout in Kashmir constituencies, crediting it to the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. Amit Shah dubbed the achievement "a momentous occasion for Kashmir!’ 


However, the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) have contended that the substantial voter participation contradicts the decision made on August 5, 2019. 


2014 Assembly Elections 


Back in the November-December 2014 Assembly elections, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) won 25, and the National Conference (NC) bagged 15 seats. 


The PDP and BJP joined hands to form the government, with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed becoming the chief minister. When Sayeed passed away in January 2016, his daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, took over as the next chief minister. However, in June 2018, the BJP withdrew its support for the government led by the PDP, leading to the imposition of governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir.