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Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh said a lot of work had been put in, and was still being put in, to get the electoral rolls in proper shape in time for the election.
Electronic voting machines will be used in all constituencies of the state and while voter identity cards will not be compulsory, voting cards, which are normally issued by political parties, will this time by issued by the state chief electoral officer and be used for identification of voters.
Lyngdoh said the code of conduct would be applicable to the state government, the Union government and all political parties with immediate effect.
The districts going to the polls in the first phase on September 16 are Kupwara and Baramulla in the Kashmir valley, Leh and Kargil in Ladakh, and Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu. Together they account for 26 assembly constituencies.
In the second phase on September 24, 28 assembly constituencies in the districts of Srinagar and Budgam in the Kashmir valley and the district of Jammu will go to the polls.
In the third phase on October 1, 27 constituencies in the districts of Pulwama and Anantnag in the Kashmir valley and Kathua and Udhampur in Jammu will elect their representatives.
In the final phase on October 8, elections will be held in the six assembly constituencies in Doda district in Jammu.
Counting of votes for all constituencies will take place on October 10 and the entire electoral process will be concluded on October 12, Lyngdoh said.
Special arrangements are being made in Delhi, Jammu, and Udhampur for those who were forced to migrate from the valley by the terrorism there.
Asked whether people would come out and vote, Lyngdoh remarked that the situation in the valley was not normal and while adequate security arrangements would be made, it would take some courage on the part of the voters too if they wished to exercise their franchise.
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