On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, called on the people of Jammu and Kashmir to vote for the INDIA bloc, saying that each vote would help restore their rights and bring employment opportunities to the region.
This assembly election is the first in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, which ended the region’s special status and divided it into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh—on August 5, 2019. Voting is underway in the first phase across 24 constituencies spread over seven districts of the Union territory.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi remarked, “Today, the first phase of voting is taking place. For the first time in the country’s history, a state’s statehood has been removed and it has been made a Union territory—this is a violation of your constitutional rights, an insult to Jammu and Kashmir.”
He urged voters to support the INDIA bloc, stating, “Every vote for INDIA will ensure the return of your rights, bring employment, empower women, and move you out of the ‘era of injustice’… making Jammu and Kashmir prosperous again.”
This election marks the first assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in the past decade. The voting process is divided into three phases, with the next phases scheduled for September 25 and October 1. The results will be announced on October 8. Over 23 lakh voters are expected to cast their votes for 219 candidates, including 90 independents, vying for 24 assembly seats—eight in Jammu and 16 in Kashmir.
