The Election Commission of India has announced the Jammu and Kashmir state assembly elections after a decade-long hiatus. Scheduled to take place over three phases from September 18 to October 1, the elections will span just 14 days. However, only 90 of the 114 seats will be contested, a decision influenced by recent political and administrative changes.
In 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act abrogated Article 370, leading to a delimitation process aimed at redrawing electoral boundaries. The Delimitation Commission, established in March 2020, released its final report in May 2022. This report increased the number of assembly seats from 107 to 114, adding six seats in Jammu and one in Kashmir.
Out of these 114 seats, 24 are reserved for areas under Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where elections are not held. Consequently, elections will be held for 90 seats, 43 in the Jammu division and 47 in the Kashmir division. This marks the first assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir since the removal of the state’s special status.
The last assembly elections occurred in November-December 2014. The subsequent government was a coalition of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed serving as Chief Minister. Following Sayeed’s death in January 2016, Mehbooba Mufti succeeded him as Chief Minister. However, in June 2018, the BJP withdrew support, leading to Governor’s rule, followed by the dissolution of the state assembly in November 2018 and the imposition of President’s rule.
In contrast, Pakistan-administered Kashmir, also known as Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) in India and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in Pakistan, holds its own local elections. The AJK Legislative Assembly, with 53 members including 45 general seats and 8 reserved seats, conducts elections that frequently involve criticism over electoral transparency. This assembly has limited powers, with significant authority resting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister and the Kashmir Council. Recent protests against Pakistan have highlighted ongoing discontent in the region.
Covering approximately 13,297 square miles (34,639 square kilometers), POK is administratively divided into 10 districts: Muzaffarabad, Neelam, Jhelum Valley, Haveli, Bagh, Rawalkot, Poonch, Kotli, Mirpur, and Bhumar. The Gilgit-Baltistan region, which also falls under Pakistan’s administrative structure, has its own distinct governance.