SRINAGAR, BARAMULLA, OCT 01 – The third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections concluded on Tuesday, with the Election Commission reporting a 65.48% voter turnout by 5 pm. Polling took place in 40 Assembly segments across seven districts , JK Chief Electoral Officer said.
The enthusiasm of people voting in the assembly elections for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 was seen in long queues outside polling stations since morning. Over 39.18 lakh eligible voters will decide the fate of 415 candidates, including two former deputy chief ministers Tara Chand and Muzaffar Beg and several former ministers and MLAs.
65.48 per cent polling was recorded till 5 pm. The Election Commission said that voting will end at 6 pm. Udhampur district recorded the highest polling of 72.91 per cent, followed by Samba (72.41 per cent), Kathua (70.53 per cent), Jammu (66.79 per cent), Bandipora (63.33 per cent), Kupwara (62.76 per cent) and Baramulla (55.73 per cent).
Among all constituencies, Chhamb in Jammu district was the front-runner with 77.35 per cent polling in the first 10 hours. Sopore constituency, once a bastion of militants and separatists, recorded the lowest polling of 41.44 per cent, according to Election Commission data.
In the 11 constituencies of Jammu district, Bishnah (SC) recorded 72.75 per cent, Suchetgarh (SC) 68.02 per cent, RS Pura-Jammu South 61.65 per cent, Bahu 57.07 per cent, Jammu East 60.21 per cent, Nagrota 72.94 per cent, Jammu West 56.31 per cent and Jammu North 60.79 per cent, Akhnoor (SC) 76.28 per cent, Marh (SC) 76.10 per cent and Chhamb 77.35 per cent polling was recorded.
In the six seats of Kathua district, Bani recorded 71.24 per cent, Billawar 69.64 per cent, Basohli 67.24 per cent, Jasrota 71.79 per cent, Kathua (SC) 71.49 per cent and Hiranagar 71.18 per cent polling was recorded. In the four constituencies of Udhampur district, Udhampur West recorded 73.20 per cent, Udhampur East 74.07 per cent, Chenani 73.79 per cent and Ramnagar (SC) 70.38 per cent polling was recorded. In the three constituencies of Samba district, Ramgarh (SC) recorded 73.10 per cent, Samba 71.16 per cent and Vijaypur 73.05 per cent polling was recorded.
In the seven constituencies of Baramulla district, Sopore recorded 41.44 per cent polling, Rafiabad 58.39 per cent, Uri 64.81 per cent, Baramulla 47.95 per cent, Gulmarg 64.19 per cent, Wagoora-Kreeri 56.43 per cent and Pattan 60.87 per cent polling was recorded. Among the six seats in Kupwara district, Karnah recorded 66.30 per cent polling, Tregham 62.27 per cent, Kupwara 59.68 per cent, Lolab 61.22 per cent, Handwara 69.06 per cent and Langate 59.81 per cent.
Among the three seats in Bandipora district, Sonawari recorded 65.56 per cent polling, Bandipora 58.60 per cent and Gurez (ST) 75.89 per cent. Enthusiastic West Pakistani refugees, Valmiki Samaj and Gorkha community members, who got the right to vote for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370, thronged polling stations early in the morning to exercise their franchise.
Earlier they had participated in the Block Development Council and District Development Council elections in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Over 400 companies of security forces, including paramilitary and armed police personnel, have been deployed to ensure smooth polling. The first phase of elections on September 18 witnessed 61.38 per cent polling and the second phase on September 25 witnessed 57.31 per cent polling. The results are to be declared on October 8.
In Bandipora district, more than 516 voters of Village Kanyari in Sonawari constituency on Tuesday boycotted the election in protest against the government for not providing land to construct their homes.
The villagers who had constructed their houses on government land, said in 2014 flood destroyed their houses and had approached the government for providing alternative land for the construction of houses which so far has not happened.
A 100-year-old Mala Begum cast her vote at the Pink Polling Station at Chattibandi in Bandipora and another elderly woman identified as Khatija, carried on shoulders by her son, cast her vote in the Uri assembly segment.
The key candidates in this phase include Raman Bhalla (R S Pura), Usman Majeed (Bandipora), Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurez), Taj Mohiuddin (Uri), Basharat Bukhari (Wagoora-Kreeri), Imran Ansari (Pattan), Ghulam Hassan Mir (Gulmarg), Choudhary Lal Singh (Basohli), Rajiv Jasrotia (Jasrota), Manohar Lal Sharma (Billawar), Sham Lal Sharma and Ajay Kumar Sadhotra (Jammu North).
To facilitate voter participation, the Election Commission has set up 5,060 polling stations and ensured 100 per cent webcasting in all constituencies. Of the total, 974 are urban polling stations and 4,086 are rural. Special initiatives to boost participation include 240 special polling stations, 50 pink polling stations managed by women and 43 polling stations operated by persons with disabilities.
Additionally, there are 45 green polling stations promoting environmental awareness, 29 polling stations located near the Line of Control and International Border for border residents and 33 unique polling stations. For migrant voters of Kashmir division, 24 special polling stations – 19 in Jammu, four in Delhi and one in Udhampur district – have been set up.
The 40 assembly constituencies in the last phase of voting include 16 in three districts of the Kashmir Valley (Kupwara, Baramulla, and Bandipora) and 24 in the four districts of Jammu division (Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua, and Samba).
While the Baramulla assembly segment of North Kashmir leads with the highest 25 candidates in the fray, the Akhnoor Assembly constituency of Jammu district witnessed a triangular contest during this phase.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has established a total of 5060 polling stations with webcasting across 40 assembly Constituencies.
The 16 seats in Kashmir include Karnah, Trehgam, Kupwara,Lolab, Handwara, Langate, Sopore, Rafiabad, Uri, Baramulla, Gulmarg, Wagoora -Kreeri, Pattan, Sonawari, Bandipora and Gurez (ST).
The 24 seats in Jammu division where voting is on include Udhampur West, Udhampur East, Chenani, Ramnagar(SC), Bani, Billawar, Basohli, Jasrota, Kathua, Hiranagar, Ramgarh(SC), Samba, Vijaypur, Bishnah(SC), Suchetgarh(SC), R.S.Pura–Jammu South, Bahu, Jammu East, Nagrota, Jammu West, Jammu North, Marh(SC), Akhnoor (SC) and Chhamb.
