Following the announcement of Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian National Congress appointed Tariq Hameed Karra as the new President of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Friday.
Tariq Hameed Karra, previously a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee, succeeds Vikar Rasool Wani, who stepped down as the JKPCC President. Alongside Karra, Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla have been designated as the working presidents of the Jammu and Kashmir PCC.
Additionally, the Congress has appointed Vikar Rasool Wani as the Special Invitee to the Congress Working Committee, effective immediately.
An official communication from the All India Congress Committee stated, “The Congress President has appointed the new President and Working Presidents of Jammu and Kashmir PCC, with immediate effect. Tariq Hameed Karra will serve as the PCC President, while Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla will be the Working Presidents. Vikar Rasool Wani has been appointed as Special Invitee to the Congress Working Committee. The party also acknowledges the valuable contributions of the outgoing PCC President, Vikar Rasool Wani.”
The upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will take place in three phases, starting on September 18, with the final vote count scheduled for October 4.
In a press conference in the national capital, Rajiv Kumar shared details of the election schedule. The first phase of voting will be on September 18, followed by the second phase on September 25, and the third phase on October 1. Votes will be counted on October 4.
Nomination deadlines for the election phases are as follows: August 27 for the first phase, September 5 for the second phase, and September 12 for the third phase.
Jammu and Kashmir has 90 assembly constituencies, including 74 general seats, 9 for Scheduled Tribes (ST), and 7 for Scheduled Castes (SC). The total electorate stands at 87.09 lakh, with 44.46 lakh male voters, 42.62 lakh female voters, 169 transgender voters, 82,590 persons with disabilities, 73,943 senior citizens, 2,660 centenarians, 76,092 service electors, and 3.71 lakh first-time voters.
These elections mark the first in the region in ten years. The last assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir was held in 2014. The coalition government formed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) collapsed in June 2018 after the latter withdrew support to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
