J-K Assembly elections: Over 28% polling recorded till 11 am in third phase

A voter turnout of 28.12 per cent was recorded in the first four hours of polling for the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections of Tuesday, according to Election Commission (EC) data.

Polling in 40 assembly segments across seven districts of Jammu and Kashmir began at 7 am amid tight security. Long queues were seen outside polling stations.

More than 39.18 lakh eligible voters are set to decide the fate of 415 candidates, including two former deputy chief ministers Tara Chand and Muzaffar Baig.

Polling is underway in three border districts of north Kashmir: Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara.

The assembly segments where polling is being held are Baramulla, Uri, Rafiabad, Pattan, Gulmarg, Sopore and Wagoora-Kreeri in Baramulla district; Kupwara, Karnah, Trehgam, Handwara, Lolab and Langate in Kupwara district; and Bandipora, Sonawari and Gurez in Bandipora district.

A total of 202 candidates are in the fray in these 16 segments.

Voting is also being held in 24 assembly constituencies in Udhampur, Samba and Kathua districts in the Jammu region.

A voter turnout of 28.12 per cent was recorded till 11 am in the final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir polls, the EC said.

Udhampur district recorded the highest turnout of 33.84 per cent, followed by 31.78 per cent in Kathua, 31.50 per cent in Samba, 28.04 per cent in Bandipora, 27.34 per cent in Kupwara, 27.15 per cent in Jammu and 23.20 per cent in Baramulla.

Among the constituencies, Bani in Kathua district was leading with 34.92 per cent polling recorded in the first four hours. Sopore segment, once a terrorist and separatist stronghold, recorded the lowest turnout of 17.28 per cent, the EC data showed.

Having gained voting rights for the first time following the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, enthusiastic West Pakistani refugees, Valmiki Samaj and Gorkha community members thronged polling stations in the early hours.

They had previously participated in the Block Development Council and the District Development Council polls in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

More than 400 companies of security forces, including paramilitary and armed police personnel, have been deployed to ensure smooth voting.

A voter turnout of 61.38 per cent was recorded in the first phase of the elections on September 18 and 57.31 per cent in the second phase on September 25.

The results are scheduled to be announced on October 8.

Among the prominent candidates in the fray in this phase are Raman Bhalla (R S Pura), Usman Majid (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 across all constituencies. Of the total, 974 are urban polling stations and 4,086 are rural.

Special initiatives to enhance participation include 240 special polling stations, 50 pink polling stations managed by women and 43 polling stations manned by persons with disabilities.

Additionally, there are 45 green polling stations promoting environmental awareness, 29 polling stations located near the Line of Control and the International Border for border residents, and 33 unique polling stations.

For migrant voters of the Kashmir division, 24 special polling stations -- 19 in Jammu, four in Delhi and one in Udhampur district -- have been established.

Officials said a comprehensive security strategy has been implemented at each polling station to ensure peaceful voting.

Polling is scheduled to conclude at 6 pm.