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Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar announced that the poll panel will commence the election process in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir shortly.
This announcement came during a press conference ahead of the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections.
Kumar highlighted the impressive voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir, which reached 58.58% overall and 51.05% in the valley, marking the highest turnout in four decades.
Jammu and Kashmir sends five MPs to the lower house of Parliament from the constituencies of Jammu, Udhampur, Srinagar, Baramulla, and Anantnag-Rajouri.
The first election in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, which transformed the erstwhile state into a Union territory, was held recently.
The counting of votes for the Lok Sabha elections will take place on Tuesday, June 4.
Earlier in March, during the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule, Kumar expressed the CEC's commitment to holding Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir soon after the Lok Sabha elections.
However, he explained that simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in J&K were not feasible due to logistical challenges, including the large number of candidates and the need for security forces for each candidate.
In December 2021, the Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of Article 370 and directed the poll panel to conduct elections in the Union territory by September 30, 2024.
Source: When will J&K assembly elections be held? CEC Rajiv Kumar replies