J&K polls LIVE: Voting concludes in Phase 1; 59% voter turnout recorded
Over 23 lakh voters will decide fate of 219 candidates in 24 Assembly segments – eight in 3 districts of Jammu region and 16 in four districts of Kashmir valley
Voters wait in a queue at a polling station during the first phase of Assembly elections, in Shopian district of south Kashmir, Wednesday, September 18. PTI
Voting in the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls concluded on Wednesday (September 18). About 59 per cent voter turnout was recorded, Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole said
He said polling passed off peacefully. Voting began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements.
However, he said the figures are tentative and there might be a fractional increase after the final reports are received from the remote pockets and postal ballots.
The first phase of polls covered 24 seats across seven districts.
Briefing media persons in Jammu after polling ended at 6 pm, Pole said the elections ended peacefully without any untoward incident.
There are reports of some minor incidents of scuffle or argument from a few polling stations but "no serious incident" occurred that could have forced a repoll, he said.
"The polling percentage of 59 percent is highest in the past seven elections – four Lok Sabha polls and three assembly elections," he said, attributing the increase in the voter turnout to various factors including improved security situation, active participation of political parties and candidates and a campaign by the department.
Highest voting in Inderwal
They said the highest voting percentage so far among the 24 Assembly segments of the Union territory was recorded in Inderwal at 80.06 per cent, followed by Padder-Nagseni at 76.80 per cent and Kishtwar at 75.04 per cent.
Doda West also recorded a high turnout of 74.14 per cent during the period.
In the Kashmir valley, the Pahalgam segment recorded the highest turnout of 67.86 per cent. It was followed by D H Pora at 65.21 per cent, Kulgam at 59.58, Kokernag at 58 per cent and Dooru at 57.90 per cent.
The lowest – 40.58 per cent – was recorded in the Tral segment, they said, adding that the four constituencies in Pulwama district have not yet crossed the 50 per cent mark.
The polls were held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Brisk voting
Earlier, long queues were witnessed outside several booths even before the voting began at 7 am, officials said.
They said the voting gathered pace and queues got longer after the first hour as the morning breeze gave way to sunshine.
The voters said the people of Jammu and Kashmir were getting a chance to elect their assembly members after a long time and they were making the most of this opportunity.
"Today is a festival of democracy. We are electing our representatives after 10 years. A democratically elected government is better than other governments," Bashir Ahmad from Kulgam, said.
23 lakh voters, 219 candidates
Over 23 lakh voters will decide the fate of 219 candidates, including 90 Independents, who are running for 24 assembly segments -- eight in three districts of Jammu region and 16 in four districts of Kashmir valley.
The officials said a total of 14,000 polling staff oversaw the process at 3,276 polling stations.
Key candidates
Prominent candidates in Kashmir whose fate will be sealed on Wednesday include CPI (M)'s Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir, National Conference's Sakina Itoo, and PDP's Sartaj Madni and Abdul Rehman Veeri.
PDP's Iltija Mufti, contesting from Srigufwara-Bijbehara, and the party's youth leader Waheed Para, from Pulwama, are also the contenders to watch for in the first phase.
In Jammu, trying their luck are former ministers Sajjad Kitchloo (NC), Khalid Najib Suharwardy (NC) Vikar Rasool Wani (Congress), Abdul Majid Wani (DPAP), Sunil Sharma (BJP), Shakti Raj Parihar (Doda west), and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, a three-time MLA who is fighting as an Independent after he was denied ticket by DPAP which he had joined after quitting Congress in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad two years ago.
Former MLA Daleep Singh Parihar (BJP), former MLC Firdous Tak and Imtiyaz Shan (PDP), NC's Pooja Thakur, the sitting chairperson of district development council Kishtwar, BJP's young face Shagun Parihar, whose father Ajit Parihar and uncle Anil Parihar were killed by terrorists in November 2018, and Mehraj din Malik of AAP are among other prominent faces in the fray.
The other two phases will be held on September 25 and October 1, while the votes will be counted on October 8.
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Enthusiastic voters queued up at polling stations on Wednesday to exercise their franchise in Doda district of Jammu, which has seen an increase in terror-related activities over the past few months.
The voters also said they hoped that the democratic exercise would be followed by the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir.
Polling was underway on Wednesday in the Chenab valley districts, having over 7.14 lakh eligible voters, to decide the fate of 64 candidates in the first phase of the assembly elections. Voting was also going on in the four south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian.
Doda and Kishtwar have witnessed a spurt in terror activities since June. Six Army personnel, including two officers, lost their lives in these and four terrorists were gunned down.
Pandit Shanti Prakash (96), a resident of Ghata village of Bhaderwah, said he was happy that the assembly elections were finally taking place.
“We are happy that the assembly elections are finally taking place after a long gap of 10 years, providing us an opportunity to finally elect our own government. We hope the elections will be followed by the restoration of statehood,” he told PTI.
Prakash, who chose to exercise his franchise at a polling booth instead of opting for home voting, said he wished to have a popular government in place, along with statehood. “One is getting fulfilled and I hope the other will also come true shortly.”
Naveen Kotwal (64), who lives near the Chobia link road, said he was voting against the “injustice inflicted on the people of J-K in the last 10 years and for the restoration of statehood”.
“I consider the past 10 years a difficult period of my life as we lost the special status and also our state was bifurcated,” he said, referring to the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union territories.
Kotwal thanked the Supreme Court for its intervention in the holding of the assembly elections, and said, “We are hopeful that the top court will ensure the restoration of statehood as well.”
Khalid Bashir Mughal (52), a former sarpanch from Chinode village, said the heavy rush of voters from the beginning of the polling reflects people's desire to have their own government.
“The central rule has caused a political vacuum and widened the gap between the people and the administration. The expectations are sky-high and we are hopeful that the new government will address public issues and ensure a peaceful atmosphere,” he said.
He added that the region has always voted enthusiastically even at the peak of terrorism, saying, “We are expecting a record turnout.” First-time voters Muqadas and Mashail, sisters studying in Amritsar, said they came home to cast their votes for a better future.
“We want a government that focuses on improving education infrastructure so that nobody has to go outside,” Muqadas said.
A long queue of voters was also seen outside the pink polling station in Kishtwar town.
“A change should happen. Our children are unemployed and it is very difficult to run the kitchen in the present time of inflation,” Jabeena Begum, a resident of Ward number five, said.
Expressing concerns over the recent terror incidents, Chetan Bandari said they want a strong government that will end terrorism and ensure a safe environment for the people.
“A terror-free atmosphere is key for overall development. I am voting against terrorism,” she said, waiting in a queue for her turn.
Bushra Mir said her vote was for better education, healthcare and road connectivity.
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