New Delhi- The Election Commission (EC) on Monday said it will start the process of holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir very soon.
Addressing a press conference here, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said the EC was very enthused by the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections, which showed the eagerness of the people to participate in the democratic process.
“We will very soon start the process of assembly elections in J&K. We are very enthused. It is one of the most satisfying moments,” the CEC said.
The voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir during the Lok Sabha elections was 58.58 per cent, the highest in four decades. The voter turnout in Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir valley was 51.05 per cent, he said.
While announcing the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections in March, Kumar had said that holding assembly and parliamentary elections simultaneously was not practical due to logistical and security reasons.
Whenever assembly elections are held in Jammu and Kashmir, they will be the first since the August 2019 abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and the division of the erstwhile state into two union territories.
The electoral exercise in Jammu and Kashmir is usually spread over a month.
Following a delimitation exercise, the number of assembly seats in the union territory has gone up from 83 to 90, excluding those allocated to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In December, the Supreme Court had directed the poll panel to hold assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30.
‘64.2 Cr People Voted In LS Polls’
India created a world record with 64.2 crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participating in the Lok Sabha elections this year, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Monday.
Addressing a press briefing, he said over 68,000 monitoring teams and 1.5 crore polling and security personnel were involved in the world’s largest electoral exercise.
“India created a world record with 64.2 crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participating in the Lok Sabha elections this year,” said Kumar.
On social media memes calling election commissioners ‘Laapataa Gentlemen’, Kumar said, “We were always here, never went missing.”
“Now memes can say the ‘Laapataa Gentlemen’ are back,” he said.
Kumar said that nearly four lakh vehicles, 135 special trains and 1,692 air sorties were used for conducting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“Only 39 repolls took place in the 2024 general elections as against 540 repolls in 2019,” he said.
The CEC further said that Jammu and Kashmir recorded its highest turnout in four decades at 58.58 per cent overall and 51.05 per cent in the Valley.
“Seizures of Rs 10,000 crore, including cash, freebies, drugs and liquor, were made during the 2024 polls as compared to Rs 3,500 crore in 2019,” he said.
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