National Congress and Congress have formed an alliance though they are also in friendly contest on some seats.

Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024 Live: 50.65% voter turnout till 3 pm has been recorded in Jammu and Kashmir on 18 September, with the highest turnout recorded in Inderwal at 72.20 per cent and the lowest in Pulwama at 36.90 per cent.

Jammu and Kashmir is holding an Assembly election, its first as a Union Territory. In Phase 1 today, 24 constituencies go to polls. In Bijbehara, the family turf of the Muftis, PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter is in the fray.

Over 23 lakh voters in Jammu and Kashmir will cast their votes for the first time in 10 years in phase 1 of the assembly election, deciding the fate of 219 candidates. This marks the first election in the union territory since the abrogation of Article 370.

As many as 219 candidates are competing in the first phase of voting today. As many as 23,27,580 electors are eligible to vote, according to the poll panel, in the first phase of voting today.

The first phase of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir recorded a 59 percent voter turnout, the highest in seven elections. Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole announced that the polling proceeded peacefully.

The candidates submitted self-sworn affidavits with their nomination papers, adhering to the Commission's rules. These candidates are eligible to run for office as the law presumes individuals are innocent until proven guilty in court.

Jammu and Kashmir is India's only Muslim-majority territory and has been at the centre of a dispute with neighbouring Pakistan since 1947. India and Pakistan both claim Kashmir in