Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: Polling concludes, voter turnout at 65. 58% in third & final phase
The third and final phase of polling in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir recorded a voter turnout of 65.48 percent until 5 pm on Tuesday, according to the Election Commission of India.
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024: The third and final phase of voting in the seven districts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir concluded smoothly on Tuesday, with a record voter turnout of 65.58 percent until 7 pm.
With this, polling in the Union Territory has ended, with results scheduled for October 8.
According to ECI data, Udhampur had the highest poll percentage of 72.91 percent, followed by Samba (72.41 percent), Kathua (70.53 percent), Jammu (66.79 percent), Bandipora (64.85 percent), Kupwara (62.76 percent), and Baramulla (55.73 percent).
"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," press release from the ECI read.
This is the first election in Jammu & Kashmir since the repeal of Article 370.
24 of the 40 constituencies are in the Jammu division, with the rest located in the Kashmir Valley. The third phase featured at least 415 candidates, including former Congress deputy Chief Ministers Tara Chand and Muzaffar Hussain Beig.
High-profile leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah (BJP), Lok Sabha Leader Rahul Gandhi, and former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti campaigned extensively for weeks.
The poll percentage in the first round of voting on September 18 was 61.13 percent, while in the second phase on September 25, it was 56.31 percent.
The West Pakistani refugee community is voting in the assembly elections for the first time since earning citizenship following the repeal of Article 370.