Jammu and Kashmir is gearing up for the third and final phase of its Assembly elections on October 1, with campaigning officially concluding today. This marks the first Assembly elections in the region in a decade. The initial phase was held on September 18, followed by the second phase, which wrapped up on September 25. The results are anticipated to be announced on October 8.
Voting Details
In this upcoming phase, voters in 40 constituencies will head to the polls, with 24 of those located in the Jammu division. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Sachin Pilot are set to address public rallies today, with Kharge focusing on the Jasrota and Ramnagar areas to rally support for the Congress-National Conference alliance.
More than 3.9 million voters are eligible to participate across these 40 constituencies, which span seven districts. Voting will take place from 7 AM to 6 PM, with comprehensive security measures in place to ensure a smooth and peaceful electoral process.
Candidate Landscape
The third phase will determine the political futures of 415 candidates, including those from various parties and independent contenders. In Jammu, the contest will primarily be between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress for 24 seats, while North Kashmir will see a competition involving INDI Alliance candidates from the National Conference-Congress and representatives from the Jammu Kashmir People’s Conference and Awami Itihad Party.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang K. Pole confirmed that over 39.18 lakh voters are set to cast their ballots in this final phase, covering 40 Assembly Constituencies across seven districts. A total of 5,060 polling stations will be established, including those in Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, and Jammu. Each polling station will be staffed by a team of four election officials, bringing the total deployment to over 20,000 personnel for this phase.
