Fresh Delimitation Expected in 2026, More Seats on the Cards
Srinagar, July 2: The much-awaited assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are unlikely to be held in 2024, according to reliable sources.
Sources quoted by news agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) stated that there are bleak chances of conducting assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir this year.
Sources said that the assembly polls might be postponed to next year. However, Panchayat and Municipal elections are expected to take place this September, with an announcement likely following the conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra.
Sources further said that while meetings were recently held in New Delhi on arrangements of polls in Maharashtra, Haryana, and Jharkhand with key ministries, including the Home Minister and Defence Minister, no meetings were held regarding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not talk about the elections in Jammu and Kashmir while discussing the upcoming assembly polls in three states.
Sources also revealed that Jammu and Kashmir may undergo another delimitation exercise in 2026, along with the rest of the country. The process could increase the number of parliamentary and assembly constituencies from the current five Lok Sabha seats and ninety assembly seats respectively.
Notably, the Supreme Court, in its December 2023 ruling on the abrogation of Article 370, had directed the government to hold assembly elections in J&K by September 30, 2024.
Moreover, during a recent visit to Kashmir, the Prime Minister stated that preparations for elections had begun and that J&K would soon have its own government, as reported by a local news agency.
