From dissolution of House to abrogation of Art 370 : A timeline of events leading up to J-K assembly poll announcement

Beginning September 18, Jammu and Kashmir will witness assembly polls after a gap of ten years.

The last assembly election was held in the erstwhile state in November-December 2014. Of the 87 seats that went to polls then, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 while the National Conference could won only 15. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 25 seats and the Congress won 12 seats.

The PDP and the BJP decided to form a coalition government under Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. On March 1, 2015, Sayeed, took the oath as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

On January 7, 2016, however, Sayeed passed away, and the state was under governor’s rule for a brief stint. Sayeed’s daughter Mehbooba Mufti, leader of the PDP, took over as chief minister. The alliance did not last long and the BJP pulled out in 2018.

Here is a timeline of events from 2018 until the Friday’s announcement of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The voting will be held in three phases – September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 4, as per the scheduled released by Election Commission of India on August 16.

Dissolution of Assembly

-June 2018: The BJP withdrew its support to the PDP-led government.

-November 2018: The state assembly dissolved by the then Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik.

-December 2018:President’s rule imposed while exercising powers under Article 356 of the Constitution in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequently extended on July 3, 2019.

Revocation of Article 370

August 5, 2019: Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, abrogated. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was passed to reconstitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh with effect from October 31, 2019.

-August 10, 2019: National Conference (NC), a prominent political party from Jammu and Kashmir, files a petition contending that the changes brought in the status of the state had taken away the rights of its citizens without their mandate.

October 31, 2019: Girish Chandra Murmu appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir

-March 2, 2020: Supreme Court declines to refer to larger seven-judge bench batch of petitions challenging constitutional validity of Centre’s decision to abrogate provisions of Article 370.

-March 14, 2020: A three-member Delimitation Commission was formed, chaired by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, for the delimitation of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

August 7, 2020: Manoj Sinha appointed as L-G of Jammu and Kashmir.

DDCelections

-December 2020: The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) swept the maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls by winning 110 seats, while the BJP emerged as the single largest party by getting 75 seats after securing the largest vote share in Jammu and Kashmir. PAGD was an alliance forged between several political parties in Jammu and Kashmir campaigning for restoring special status under Article 370 of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Delimitation

-February 2022: The Delimitation Commission publishes its interim report.

-May 2022: The final delimitation report was released on May 5, 2022 under which additional 6 seats were added toJammu divisionand 1 seat toKashmir division. After delimitation, the total seats in the assembly rose to 114 seats, out of which 24 seats are designated for areas that fall underPakistan-administered Kashmir. Out of the remaining 90 seats, 43 seats are in Jammu division and 47 seats are in the Kashmir division.

-May 20, 2022: The final delimitation report came into force

Reservation for SC/STs

-December 2023: The parliament passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2023 which provides for reservation of 7 seats for the Scheduled Castes and 9 seats for the Scheduled Tribes.

Supreme Court Deadline for Polls

-December 11, 2023:  The Supreme Court upheld the abrogation of article 370 as constitutional and ordered the Election Commission of India to hold legislative assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir before September 30, 2024.

-March-April 2024:Jammu and Kashmir recorded highest turnout in four decades at 58.58 per cent overall, and 51.05 per cent in valley in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

-May 2024 :Once the elections are over, the government will start the process of restoring statehood to the Union Territory, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Election Commission Gears Up

-July 31, 2024:The Election Commission of India asks the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transfer out officers posted in their home districts, a routine exercise it holds before conducting elections.

-August 9, 2024: A team of the Election Commission of India reviewed on August 8 the preparedness for assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir and took feedback from political parties.

-August 15, 2024: Government appoints IPS officer Nalin Prabhatto take over as the Special Director General of theJammu and Kashmir Policefrom October. He will take charge following the retirement of J-K DGP, RR Swain on September 30.

-August 17, 2024: Election Commission announces the dates of three-phase assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.