The second phase of election training for polling staff in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) assembly elections 2024 began at the Town Hall in Doda district on Sunday. The training session was attended by polling staff, including Presiding Officers (PO), P1, P2, and P3 personnel, who received essential instructions on operating and managing electronic voting machines (EVMs) and voter-verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs).
Under the supervision of the appointed General Observer, the session aimed to equip the polling staff with the skills and knowledge needed to ensure a smooth and transparent election process. This training is part of the Election Commission's broader efforts to ensure all personnel involved in the election are well-prepared to handle their responsibilities effectively. Participants were briefed on the importance of adhering to guidelines and protocols to maintain the integrity of the election process.
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The session also included hands-on demonstrations and practical exercises to enhance understanding of electoral equipment and procedures. Training will continue in the coming days to ensure that all polling staff are thoroughly prepared for the 2024 assembly elections. Earlier on Wednesday, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched the Congress' campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls with two rallies.
The rallies were part of the campaign for the party's candidates contesting in the first phase of the elections on September 18.As per the seat-sharing formula between the two parties, the National Conference (NC) will contest 51 of the 90 seats, and the Congress will contest 32. The two parties will also contest five seats against each other. They have left one seat each for the CPI (M) and the Panthers Party. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has also extended its support to the Congress and National Conference alliance in the Jammu and Kashmir polls.Jammu and Kashmir has 90 assembly constituencies, with 7 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs).
In the previous Assembly elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12. Jammu and Kashmir will witness elections after a gap of ten years, as the last assembly election was held in 2014.
The PDP-BJP coalition government fell in June 2018 when the latter withdrew support to the then-Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti. In December of last year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024. These upcoming elections will be the first in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8.