The third and final phase of Assembly polls for 40 seats spread over seven districts Jammu and Kashmir concluded peacefully on Tuesday witnessed a record voter turnout of 68.72 percent, which is likely to go up, according to the Election Commission of India.
The Chief Electoral Officer said the final phase of J&K polls for 40 Assembly seats today witnessed tentative 68.72% voter turnout
“The poll percentage in the 1st phase was 61.38 %, in 2nd phase it was 57.31 % and in last third phase poll percentage is 68.72 % (tentative). Overall poll percentage comes to 63.45 %,” he said.
With the completion of the elections, the counting of votes is scheduled on October 8.
The large queues of people were seen at the majority of the polling stations in the 40 Assembly constituencies that went to the polls today.
Of the 40 Assembly seats, 16 were in three north Kashmir districts while 24 seats were in four districts of Jammu, Kathua, Samba and Udhampur.
The brisk polling was reported across J&K with men and women and young and old enthusiastically exercising their right to franchise.
In the third phase of polling, 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.
An ECI statement said polling for Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections concluded today in a peaceful and celebratory atmosphere.
“The elections were a resounding statement in favour of democracy in line with the CEC Rajiv Kumar’s vote of confidence given during the announcement of the general elections in J&K on August 16,” it said.
The CEC had said that in Jammu-Kashmir, the world will witness the defeat of nefarious and inimical interests and the triumph of democracy.
“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,” CEC Kumar said.
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,” he said.
The Assembly poll 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 Assembly elections 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 setup in Jammu (19), Udhampur (1) and Delhi (4).
The Election Commission said no repolls have been recorded so far in the three-phased Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls which concluded on Tuesday.
It also noted that despite an increase in the number of assembly seats from 83 in 2014 to 90 in 2024, the elections were completed in three phases this time as against five in 2014.
No major law and order incidents related to the elections were reported, a significant improvement from 2014 when over 170 incidents were reported, including 87 on polling days, it said.
There also have been no complaints pertaining to arbitrary preventive detention of political functionaries in these elections which is “unprecedented”, the poll authority said.
The Election Commission (EC) had also strictly instructed against clubbing of polling stations just before the poll day, and accordingly, people 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”, it said.
These assembly polls have seen a seven per cent increase in the number of candidates contesting as compared to the assembly elections in 2014.
Women candidates made a significant leap, increasing from 28 to 43 in the corresponding period, while independent candidates saw a 26 per cent rise.
Registered Unrecognized Political Parties (RUPPs) also demonstrated a remarkable 71 per cent increase in participation from 138 in 2014 to 236 in 2024, the EC said.