J&K Assembly polls see over 58% turnout, healthy voting in South Kashmir

Voting in the first phase of the historic three-phase election in Jammu and Kashmir remained peaceful, with no untoward incidents reported in any of the 24 Assembly constituencies, spread across seven districts. At the end of the polling, the voter turnout was 58.85 per cent.
This is the first phase of the Assembly polls which are taking place after 10 years and also the first after the Centre abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution in 2019, stripping the then state’s special status and reorganising it into Union Territories.
According to data from the Election Commission, Inderwal recorded the maximum voter turnout 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 DH 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 are being held in an apparently transformed atmosphere in the region following the Article 370 abrogation, as key regional parties–Farooq Abdullah’s NC and Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP–and national parties–Congress and BJP–aim for bigger gains in this crucial election.
Players like Engineer Rashid’s Kashmir Awami Ittehad Party, which struck an alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami, and Sajjad Lone’s People’s Conference are also in the fray. Additionally, some separatist outfits are contesting as independents in many seats.
Key faces in this round include CPI(M)’s Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami from Kulgam, AICC General Secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir in Dooru, National Conference’s Sakina Itoo from Damhal Hajipora, PDP’s Sartaj Madni from Devsar, Iltija Mufti in Srigufwara-Bijbehara, and Abdul Rehman Veeri in Shangus-Anantnag.
The focus is on Pulwama and Srigufwara-Bijbehara, where PDP’s Waheed Para and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter
Iltija Mufti are contesting, respectively.
In the Jammu region, prominent figures include former ministers Sajjad Kitchloo (NC), Khalid Najid Suharwardy (NC), Vikar Rasool Wani (Congress), Abdul Majid Wani (DPAP), Sunil Sharma (BJP), Shakti Raj Parihar (Doda West), and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori.
Though NC and Congress are in an alliance, both parties have fielded candidates in Banihal, Bhaderwah, and Doda for a ‘friendly contest.’
In the first phase, over 23 lakh voters will decide the fate of 219 candidates, including 90 independents. Of the 24 Assembly seats, eight are in the Jammu region and four in the Kashmir Valley.
According to the Election Commission (EC), a total of 23,27,580 electors are eligible to vote in Phase 1, comprising 11,76,462 male, 11,51,058 female, and 60 third-gender electors. A total of 14,000 polling staff will oversee the process at 3,276 polling stations, ensuring the smooth conduct of the polls.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have made elaborate security arrangements for the Assembly polls to ensure maximum voter turnout, said senior officer VK Birdi. The measures include multi-tier security from the Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF), Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police, and J&K Police.
The second phase of voting will take place on September 25, and the third on October 1 and vote counting will be held on October 8.