The counting of votes for the 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir concluded on Tuesday, with the National Conference-Congress alliance securing 49 seats. This marks the final stage of an electoral process that will provide an elected government after a gap of six years, following the collapse of the PDP-BJP regime on June 20, 2018, and the subsequent abrogation of Article 370. The majority mark is 46.
The first assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir since 2014 were held in three phases. The initial phase held on September 18 saw voting for 24 seats, followed by the second phase on September 25, covering 26 seats. The third phase, for the remaining 40 seats, occurred on October 1. Follow assembly election results LIVE here.
The main contenders in the highly anticipated election are the Congress-National Conference alliance, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This election also comes five years after Jammu and Kashmir was split into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Commenting on the potential of a post-election alliance, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said on Monday that his party is open to collaborating with Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP if necessary to form the government in the region.
Abdullah also criticised the move to grant the Lieutenant Governor the authority to nominate members to the five reserved seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, stating that his party would challenge the decision in the Supreme Court if the BJP-led central government proceeds with it. Adding the five nominated members would take the strength of the Assembly to 95, making the majority mark 48.
Election Commission officials have implemented a three-tier security arrangement at all counting centres to ensure smooth proceedings in the volatile border union territory, which has long been a hotspot for tensions and has experienced frequent instances of terrorism, insurgency, and cross-border infiltration.
New covered by Mohammad Saleem from Kashmir
