J-K Assembly polls: 11.60 pc turnout recorded till 9 am in third phase of polls

SRINAGAR: The third phase of voting in Jammu and Kashmir saw a cumulative voter turnout of 11.60 per cent as of 9 am on Tuesday, as per the Election Commission of India.

According to the latest data issued by ECI, Udhampur district recorded the highest voter turnout of 14.23 per cent as of 9 am, followed by Samba at 13.31 per cent of voter turnout.

Meanwhile, Bandipore recorded voters turnout of 11.64 per cent, Baramulla at 8.89 per cent, Jammu at 11.46 per cent, Kathua at 13.09 per cent and Kupwara at 11.27 per cent.

The polling for the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections has begun on Tuesday at 7 am with people seen queueing up at a polling station across 40 constituencies in seven districts of the Union Territory.

The polls will conclude at 6 pm. Voting will take place in 24 constituencies in the Jammu division and 16 constituencies in Kashmir amid strong security to ensure smooth and peaceful polls. As voting for the third phase of elections begins, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exuded confidence in the participation of women voters in large numbers in the festival of democracy.

In a post on X, PM Modi also called upon first-time voters to exercise their franchise. "Today is the third and last round of voting in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. I request all voters to come forward and cast their votes to make the festival of democracy a success. I am confident that apart from the young friends who are going to vote for the first time, women power will also participate in the voting in large numbers," PM Modi wrote in a post on X.

At least 415 candidates, including former deputy Chief Ministers Tara Chand of Congress and Muzaffar Hussain Beig, are contesting in the third phase. Mock polling also took place at various polling booths before the start of the polls.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Bahu assembly constituency, Vikram Randhawa, offered prayers at the Bawe Wali Mata Mahakali Mandir ahead of the elections today. Congress' Taranjit Singh Tony and PDP's Varinder Singh are his main opponents. This election is notable as the first in a decade and the first since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. The three-phase election involves a multi-party contest for the 90 seats across the former state.

The National Conference (NC) and the Congress have formed an alliance for these elections, while the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are among the other major contenders. The campaigning saw major political parties, especially the BJP, Congress, NC, and PDP, engaging in heated debates over key issues including Pakistan, Article 370, terrorism, and reservation. The counting of the votes will be done on October 8.