Jammu/Srinagar: The third and final phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls Tuesday saw a voter turnout of 68.72 per cent, surpassing the Lok Sabha poll figure in the corresponding seven districts, with the traditional boycott bastions of Sopore and Baramulla recording the highest turnout in an election in the last three decades.
According to Election Commission (EC) data, the overall polling percentage in the three phases was 63.45 per cent.
Officials said the polling went off peacefully in all segments including special polling stations along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) with no untoward incident reported from anywhere.
In the recently held parliamentary polls, the turnout in the seven districts that went to polls in the final phase on Tuesday was recorded at 66.78 per cent.
The turnout in Phases 1 and 2 was also higher than in the Lok Sabha elections.
While seven districts in Phase 1 recorded 61.38 per cent turnout, the figure was 60 per cent in the general elections. Similarly, six districts that went to polls in Phase 2 recorded 57.31 per cent polling as compared to 52.17 per cent turnout in the Lok Sabha polls, according to available data.
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However, as compared to the 2014 Assembly elections, the third phase of polls in 40 Assembly segments across seven districts of Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba in Jammu region and Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a marked dip in the overall percentage which was attributed mostly to the ongoing farming activities.
The majority of seats in the third phase registered a drop of 1 to 15 per cent as compared to 2014 except for Sopore, Baramulla, and Pattan constituencies where the figures have gone up this time.
Sopore, once a terrorist and separatist stronghold, recorded the lowest turnout of 41.44 per cent but it was far better than the 2014 polls when the seat recorded 30.79 per cent voting, the EC data showed.
Baramulla, a traditional boycott bastion, recorded a 47.95 per cent turnout as against 39.73 per cent in 2014 while Pattan saw 60.87 per cent polling in comparison to 58.72 per cent recorded in the last assembly polls.
According to Election Commission data, an estimated 68.72 per cent of over 39.18 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise in the final phase of the elections.
The poll panel, however, termed it an “approximate trend” as it did not include postal ballots while the data from some polling stations was still being compiled.
The polling began at 7 am amid tight security and concluded at 6 pm, sealing the fate of 415 candidates, including two former deputy chief ministers Tara Chand and Muzaffar Baig, and several former ministers and legislators.
The votes will be counted on October 8.
Long queues outside polling stations since early morning marked the enthusiasm among people who voted for the first time in the Assembly elections post the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
Samba district recorded the highest turnout of 73.45 per cent, followed by Udhampur (72.91 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).
Among the constituencies, Chhamb in Jammu district was at the top with 77.35 per cent polling recorded in the day-long polling.
In Jammu district’s 11 segments, Bishnah (SC) recorded 72.75 per cent polling, Suchetgarh (SC) 68.02 per cent, R S 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.
In the six seats of Kathua district, Bani recorded 71.24 per cent voter turnout, 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.
In Udhampur district’s four segments, 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.
In the three seats of Samba district, Ramgarh (SC) recorded 73.10 per cent polling, Samba 71.16 per cent and Vijaypur 73.05 per cent.
In Baramulla district’s seven seats, Sopore recorded 41.44 per cent, 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.
In the six seats of Kupwara district, Karnah registered 66.30 per cent, 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.
In the three seats of Bandipora district, Sonawari registered 65.56 per cent, Bandipora 62.0 per cent and Gurez (ST) 75.89 per cent.
Having gained voting rights for the first time following the abrogation of Article 370, enthusiastic West Pakistani refugees, Valmiki Samaj and Gorkha community members thronged polling stations in the early hours to take part in the ‘festival of democracy’.
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.
“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,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said in a statement.
He dedicated the elections to the people of Jammu and Kashmir 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 people of J&K,” he said.
The commission said meticulous planning and constant vigil by the Commission have ensured that the elections this time have been smooth and streamlined, with no repolls recorded so far.
“Despite an increase in the number of Assembly constituencies from 83 in 2014 to 90 in 2024, the elections were completed in three phases this time as against five phases in 2014.
“No major law and order incidents related to the election were reported, a significant improvement from 2014 when over 170 incidents were reported, including 87 on polling days,” the commission said.
It said there have been no complaints pertaining to arbitrary preventive detention of political functionaries in these elections which is unprecedented.
The commission had also strictly instructed against clubbing of polling stations just before the poll day, and accordingly, voters voted at their actual polling station location as opposed to 98 polling stations shifted in 2014 at the eleventh hour.
The role of money and muscle power has been curtailed to a significant extent. Vigilance and seizures have been fortified by the coordinated efforts of the enforcement agencies resulting in seizures worth Rs 130 crores, the highest ever in the history of Jammu and Kashmir elections and even surpassing Rs 100.94 crore figure during Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
The bulk of seizures included drugs worth Rs 110.45 crore, the commission said.
PTI