23.27 lakh electors eligible to vote across 24 ACs in Phase-I

JAMMU — More than 23.27 lakh voters including 5.66 lakh youths are eligible to exercise their electoral franchise during Phase-I of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election which is scheduled to be held on September 18, 2024 across the 24 Assembly Constituencies (ACs) in 7 districts of Jammu & Kashmir, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) J&K, Pandurang K Pole said on Thursday.

“As per the latest data of electoral rolls available, there is a total of 23,27,543 lakh voters, who are eligible to vote during Phase 1 of the J&K Assembly. Out of them, there are 11,76,441 male voters and 11,51,042 female voters along with 60 third-gender electors,” the CEO said in a statement.

Underlining the significance of the role to be played by the youth of Jammu and Kashmir in strengthening democracy, the CEO said that as many as 5.66 lakh youths are eligible to vote in Phase 1 of the Assembly election.

These 5.66 lakh young electors are between the ages of 18-29 and include 1,23,922 first-time voters between the age of 18-19 years, with 65542 of them male and 58380 female electors.

In Phase- I, 28,310 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and 15,774 voters above the age of 85 are eligible to cast their vote. 24 Assembly Constituencies, both in Jammu and Kashmir divisions, are going to elections on September 18, 2024.

The notification has been issued for Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam districts in Kashmir Division; and Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts in Jammu Division.

In Kashmir Division, 16 Assembly Constituencies comprising Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, DH Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, Pahalgam; whereas in Jammu Division, 8 Assembly Constituencies including, Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban and Banihal are scheduled to go for polls in the Phase-I of the Assembly Election.

The Notification for Phase-I was released on August 20, 2024 and the last date for filing the nominations for Phase-I is August 27, 2024.

296 Nodal Officers across J&K imparted training on MCC, MCMC, EEM

In a bid to enhance the skills of its election machinery at the District and Assembly Constituency level during the Assembly Election 2024, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer J&K conducted a training program for as many as 296 Nodal Officers across the Union Territory, which concluded today.

Conducted under the supervision of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), J&K, Pandurang K Pole, the program trained the Nodal Officers for the effective implementation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), Media Certification and Monitoring (MCM), monitoring of paid and fake news and social media apps, and for Election Expenditure Monitoring (EEM) at district and Assembly Constituency (AC) level in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions of J&K Union Territory.

A total of 296 Nodal Officers, including 162 in Jammu Division were trained in the Physical Mode during the program being conducted in the training hall of J&K CEO Office at Nirvachan Bhawan, Rail Head Complex, Jammu. Similarly, 134 Nodal Officers from Kashmir Division were trained during the training program being held in online mode from the office of J&K CEO in Jammu.

Addressing the trainees, the Chief Electoral Officer exhorted the Nodal Officers to work in tandem to ensure that the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) are implemented in toto during the Assembly election and Election Expenditure Monitoring is done effectively in true spirit so that the transparency and fairness of the electoral process are visible on the ground and a level playing field is provided to the stakeholders.

The training provided to the Nodal Officers will prove to be crucial in upholding the integrity of the electoral processes and smooth conduct of the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the CEO added.

During the training program, the national-level master trainers from India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) delivered lectures to all the trainee officers on topics related to MCC, MCM, Paid News, Social Media Apps, Election Expenditure Monitoring and other.

Additionally, the officials of Expenditure Division of Election Commission of India (ECI) gave a full session on Election Seizure Management System to the trainee officers in Jammu and the same theme of the training was also followed in the Kashmir Division.