Polling Begins in Jammu and Kashmir Amid Political Rivalry

Polling parties in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district have set off for their polling stations with EVMs ahead of the first phase of voting on September 18. Congressional leader Pawan Khera has vowed to restore statehood, while BJP's Ram Madhav predicts a significant political shift.

Polling parties from Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district departed on Tuesday with electronic voting machines (EVMs) toward their allocated polling stations in preparation for the first phase of voting set for September 18. A total of 534 polling teams were dispatched to remote regions of Doda. The initial phase will see twenty-four assembly constituencies across the Union Territory going to the polls.

Similarly, polling parties from Ramban and Kishtwar districts have also proceeded to their assigned stations with EVMs. On Monday, Congress leader Pawan Khera announced that the Congress-National Conference alliance is committed to restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.

"Jammu and Kashmir was a state whose rights were seized, and it was turned into a Union Territory. We will reclaim this right," Khera told ANI. He emphasized that the electorate is poised to oust the BJP.

Citing Congress's governance record over the past decade in states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, Khera argued that BJP's promises pale in comparison. BJP election in-charge for Jammu and Kashmir, Ram Madhav, countered that a significant transformation is anticipated in the forthcoming elections, with locals likely to vote the National Conference, PDP, and Congress out of power.

"A substantial change is on the horizon. The three major parties, NC, PDP, and Congress, which are currently rallying support, will be defeated by the voters," Madhav predicted. The assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will unfold in three phases—on September 18, September 25, and November 1. The votes will be tallied on October 8.

(With inputs from agencies.)