Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav announced on Saturday that his party is participating in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections as part of its strategy to achieve national party status. He highlighted that these elections mark the first assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, adding significance to the party’s campaign.
“SP is contesting elections in J&K because they are being held for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370. SP is also contesting because smaller states can contribute to making it a national party much more quickly,” Yadav told reporters.
Details of the J-K Assembly Elections
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections will be conducted in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1. The vote counting will take place on October 8. The assembly has a total of 90 constituencies, including 7 reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Criteria for National Party Status
A political party is recognized as a national party if it meets any of the following criteria outlined in the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968:
- It must receive at least six percent of the votes cast in four or more states in Lok Sabha or assembly elections and have at least four Lok Sabha members.
- It must hold at least two percent of the Lok Sabha seats and have candidates from at least three states.
- It must be recognized as a state party in at least four states.
MUST READ: Prime Minister Modi’s Historic Visit To Doda: Key Highlights
Hindi Diwas Celebrations
In addition to his remarks on the elections, Akhilesh Yadav extended his wishes to the people on the occasion of Hindi Diwas. “I congratulate all of you on Hindi Diwas. On this day, we need to appreciate our languages. The Hindi language has not evolved as it should have, and we should promote Indian languages,” Yadav stated.
PM Modi and Amit Shah’s Hindi Diwas Messages
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended greetings on Hindi Diwas, stating, “Many best wishes to all the countrymen on Hindi Diwas,” in a post on X.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah conveyed his heartfelt wishes as well, emphasizing, “Indian languages are our pride and heritage, and without enriching them, we cannot move forward.” He added, “Official language Hindi has an unbreakable relationship with every Indian language. This year, Hindi has completed 75 years of public communication and national unity as the official language of the country.”
Hindi Diwas is observed annually on September 14 to commemorate the adoption of Hindi as one of India’s official languages.
ALSO READ: AAP Leaders Manish Sisodia And Sanjay Singh Pay Tribute To Sitaram Yechury