The third and final phase of polling held in the seven districts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir concluded peacefully on Tuesday with a record voter turnout of 65.58 per cent till 7 pm, according to the Election Commission of India. With this, the polling has come to an end in the Union Territory with results scheduled on October 8.
As per the data shared by the ECI, Udhampur saw the highest poll percentage of 72.91, followed by Samba 72.41 per cent, Kathua 70.53 per cent, Jammu 66.79 per cent, Bandipora 64.85 per cent, Kupwara 62. 76 per cent and Baramulla 55.73 per cent.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar while announcing the election schedule said that "J & K Assembly elections have marked a significant deepening of democracy, which will echo in the pages of history and continue to inspire a democratic spirit of the region for years to come. He dedicated these elections to the people of J & K, acknowledging their determination and belief in the democratic process. The peaceful and participative elections are historic, wherein democracy is taking root more profoundly than ever before, driven by the will of the people of J & K."
"These elections have witnessed a significant increase in voter turnout in areas which have been infamous for militancy and boycotting democratic processes. Polling percentage has increased by 12.97 per cent in Pulwama AC in the Legislative Assembly Elections 2024 compared to the corresponding elections held in 2014. Zainapora AC in Shopian saw a 9.52 per cent increase while Eidgah AC in Srinagar registered a 9.16 per cent increase, reflecting growing confidence in the electoral process," the release stated.
Kashmiri Migrant voters were also empowered to exercise their franchise through 24 special polling stations set up in Jammu (19), Udhampur (1) and Delhi (4).
In phase-3, 40 Assembly constituencies spread across 7 districts saw polling across 5,060 polling stations set up for voters in this phase. A total of 415 candidates were in the fray, including 387 men and 28 women candidates in this phase of the elections. The seven districts that went to polls in phase 3 are: Bandipora, Baramulla, Jammu, Kathua, Kupwara, Samba and Udhampur.
Phase-1 and Phase-2 saw a polling percentages of 61.38 per cent and 57.31 per cent respectively.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed hope that young and women voters will participate in good numbers in the last leg of polling. About 3.9 million voters were eligible to cast their franchise at 5,060 polling stations in the third phase of polling. Voting began at 7 am and continued till 6 pm, Election Commission of India said.
Jammu and Kashmir is holding its first assembly elections in 10 years. This is also the first assembly election in the UT after the abrogation of special status under Article 370 in August 2019.
