Assembly Elections: Counting today to decide fate of 873 candidates

Srinagar:  The much-anticipated results of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections, which have drawn the participation of 873 candidates, will be revealed tomorrow as counting begins for all 90 constituencies.
This marks the first Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir in over a decade, and voter enthusiasm was high during the three-phase voting that took place on September 18, September 25, and October 1.
A total of 20 counting centers have been established across the region, with robust security measures in place to ensure a smooth process.
“Each district headquarters is hosting a counting center secured by three layers of protection, consisting of the Central Armed Police Force, the State Armed Police Force, and district police personnel. Security at these locations will be closely monitored by Deputy Superintendent of Police (SP)-level officers, who will oversee the arrangements at both the strong rooms and counting halls,” a security official said.
Reflecting on the security, another senior official noted, “We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the safety and security of the entire counting process. Our teams are fully prepared to manage the situation.”
The election, held after a gap of ten years, saw a significant voter turnout, a fact that observers are attributing to the public’s eagerness to shape the future of the Union Territory.
“The people of Jammu and Kashmir have shown remarkable participation in this election,” a state election official said. “Now, we await the results that will shape the political scene here for years to come.”
As the counting for Jammu and Kashmir coincides with that of Haryana, the political scene is set for a day of high stakes and keen observation.
For all the 90 Assembly constituencies the counting will start at 8 a.m. Randomisation of counting staff in 20 districts of the UT was completed as per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, which was done in the presence of the district electoral officers (DEOs) under the supervision of the observers designated by the ECI.
On the occasion, the designated poll staff was classified into teams, each comprising Counting Supervisors, Counting Assistants, and Counting Micro Observers assigned to their respective Counting Halls.
The Randomisation of Counting Staff was facilitated by dedicated software to ensure a transparent, free and fair counting process devoid of human interference. The process was also video recorded as per the guidelines of the ECI.
Security arrangements are in place in the entire UT as the authorities are anticipating victory processions by the winning candidates and the political parties. There will be no laxity in security till all results are declared and the entire election process is completed by October 10, the officials said.
This will be the first elected government to be formed in Jammu and Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370 as well as after downgrading of the state into two UTs of J&K and Ladakh.
The officials said a three-tier security set-up has been put in place at all counting centres across Jammu and Kashmir. Only authorised counting agents of the contesting candidates and staff posted on counting duty will be allowed inside the counting halls. Tally of votes for each candidate will be announced after every round of counting on the public address system outside the counting halls.
The just concluded legislative Assembly election recorded a voter turnout of 63.45 per cent which is less than the 65.52 per cent recorded in the 2014 Assembly elections.
The legislative Assembly poll was held in three phases on September 18, September 25 and October 1. In the first phase, 24 seats went to the poll, in the second phase, 26 and in the third phase, 40 seats went to the poll.
Exit Polls have put the NC-Congress alliance in a strong position with the regional party getting the lion’s share of the seats. BJP is expected to slightly improve on its tally of 25 seats which it had won in the 2014 polls. The PDP, which had won 28 seats in the 2014 polls, is predicted to win less than 10 seats this time by the Exit Polls.
The pollsters have not given much of a chance to the new and emerging parties like the Peoples Conference (PC), Apni Party, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) of Lok Sabha member, Rashid Engineer. These parties along with Independents are expected to win around 10 seats.

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