The much-awaited Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections begin Wednesday (Sept. 18) as campaigning for the first phase of polls came to an end on Monday.
In phase 1 of the three-phase polls, eight seats of Chenab Valley spread across the three districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban in the Jammu region and 16 assembly segments of south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam will go to vote. This is the first assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
ETV Bharat looks back at some of the key stories we covered on Jammu & Kashmir since the Election Commission announced the poll schedule on August 16.
Explained: Why Is Jammu And Kashmir Finally Going To Assembly Polls Now?
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the much-delayed assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir on August 16 marking a significant moment in the union territory, which awaited an elected government for the last decade now. ETV Bharat's Muhammad Zulqarnain Zulfi decoded the delay. Read Here…
BJP Decides To Bring In Fresh Faces
Soon after the election commission announced the schedule, the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir said it would field candidates aged 25-40 years from non-political families in the Assembly elections. The party said it planned to select potential candidates through suggestions from the local leadership of the district in Jammu Kashmir. ETV Bharat’s Mohd Ashraf Ganie covered this BJP move. Read Here…
Turncoats Turn To Greener Pastures
Several politicians in J&K began searching for greener pastures, ditching their current parties at the 11th hour as soon as the poll schedule was announced. Leading them was Apni Party leader Choudhary Zulfikar Ali, who joined BJP soon after. ETV Bharat’s Mohd Ashraf Ganie and Mir Farhat covered the stories here and here.
Iltija Mufti Makes Electoral Debut From Bijbehara
As PDP announced its first list of candidates for the assembly elections on August 19, the highlight was Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti’s political debut. Iltija, seen by many as the de facto heir of Mehbooba, would contest from Bijbehara assembly constituency. She sprung to the political scene in the aftermath of Article 370 abrogation. ETV Bharat's Mir Farhat covered this key development here…
Congress, NC Seal Pre-poll Alliance Deal As Rahul Drops At Abdullahs
Aiming to find a common ground, Congress president Malikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi landed in Srinagar on August 22 and held an hour-long meeting with National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah at their residence where they sealed the deal for the pre-poll alliance for the assembly elections. ETV Bharat's Mir Farhat covered it here…
PDP’s Electoral Chances Take A Hit After Congress-NC Announce Alliance
Battling an internal revolt, Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP suffered a body blow as National Conference and Congress formed a pre-poll alliance, diminishing the Mufti party’s chances of winning the elections. The party faced internal revolt and continued to be burdened by the negative perception of its 2014 alliance with the BJP. ETV Bharat's Mir Farhat covered the story here…
Engineer Rashid’s AIP Shakes Up Kashmir Politics
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) led by Jailed Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid (who was eventually released on interim bail on Sept. 10) shook up the Kashmir political scene as it announced candidates for nine Assembly constituencies in south Kashmir. Most of the nominees were previously affiliated with the PDP and had recently joined AIP. ETV Bharat's Parvez-ud-din reported the shift here...
Journey Through J&K’s Political Evolution Since 1951
Jammu and Kashmir’s political landscape witnessed dramatic changes since its first elections in 1951. This evolution reflects a history of shifting alliances and significant constitutional changes. ETV Bharat's Muhammad Zulqarnain Zulfi revisited the political journey of the erstwhile princely state from the first elections to the abrogation of Article 370 in a detailed piece here…
On The Sidelines In Kashmir, BJP Focuses on Jammu
BJP announced its candidates on only 19 assembly seats in Kashmir, skipping 28 seats in the valley, reflecting the party’s lack of interest in contesting in the region. Instead, the saffron party shifted focus to Jammu, where it highlighted the "benefits Jammu has received following the abrogation of Article 370". ETV Bharat's Mohd Ashraf Ganie covered it here…
Congress, NC contest on separate manifestos, plan a CMP
After agreeing to a pre-poll alliance, the Congress and the National Conference (NC) also decided to contest the J&K Assembly elections on separate manifestos but said they would work out a Common Minimum Program (CMP) if the alliance is elected to power. ETV Bharat’s Amit Agnihotri spoke to All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of J&K Bharat Sinh Solanki. Read Here…
From Crores To Car Loans: South Kashmir's Wealthiest And Poorest Candidates
As candidates began filing nominations, their affidavits highlighted stark contrasts in wealth. Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir stood out as one of the wealthiest contenders in south Kashmir, declaring a net worth of nearly Rs 16 crore. ETV Bharat analysed the assets owned by key candidates in south Kashmir here…
Mehbooba declines to contest polls
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti declared she would not be contesting the elections, citing the challenges in pursuing her party's agenda under the current political conditions in the union territory. ETV Bharat covered it here…
Omar Faces Imprisoned Cleric In Assembly Elections
Former J&K Chief Minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah is again put in a spot of bother after he faced a humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections where jailed Engineer Rashid managed to pip him and win from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency. In Assembly elections, Omar faces jailed Kashmir cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagay alias Barkati in Ganderbal after the latter’s nomination papers were accepted by the Election Commission. ETV Bharat covered the story here…
Jamaat enters the electoral battlefield, first since 1987
Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) banned under the Unlawful Activities Act by the government of India in February 2019, agreed to contest elections and fielded independent candidates on several seats in Kashmir turning the valley’s electoral politics on its head. A campaign rally by JeI candidates in once volatile Kulgam drew thousands of supporters, as the religio-political organisation said it would focus on advocating for people's rights and constitutional compliance. Read the complete story here…
Rashid Returns From Jail, Takes Abdullahs, Muftis Head On
As Engineer Rashid was given interim bail by the Supreme Court on September 10, his entry into the campaign scene showed he was a strong opponent who could rattle the NC-Congress alliance and PDP’s chances of victory in the elections. Rashid spoke to ETV Bharat’s Mir Farhat, asserting if his candidates win and his party forms the government, he will do “such a thing for Kashmir” that he will be “remembered forever”. Watch the interview here…
Electoral Battle Revives Between Communists And Jamaat
In south Kashmir's Kulgam district, the valley's lone communist leader, Muhammad Yousuf Rather, popular as Tarigami, faced Jamaat-e-Islami-backed candidate Sayar Ahmad Reshi. Communism vs Jamaat puts the spotlight on the contest. ETV Bharat's Mir Farhat reported on this key electoral battle here…
AIP-Jamaat last-minute alliance
If things were looking good for NC-Congress and PDP, they turned for the worse days before the polls after Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) decided to forge a last-minute “strategic” alliance with the banned Jamaat-e-Islami.
The pact was finalised on Sept. 15, three days before the first phase of the Assembly polls. Jamaat’s chief election in charge, Shamim Ahmad Thoker confirmed the development to ETV Bharat. Read the story here…
