J&K Assembly elections start on high note as enthusiastic voters take first phase turnout to 59 pc

Enthusiastic voters, men and women, young and elderly, first-timers and one centenarian who has voted in all elections since India's first Lok Sabha polls, turned out in strength in polling booths across 24 constituencies,  spanning both the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley, as an estimated 59 per cent voting was recorded in the peaceful and incident-free first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Wednesday.

J&K's CEO P.K. Pole told reporters that people have overwhelmingly voted in the first phase of Assembly elections.

"Polling continued peacefully throughout the day and ended without any untoward incident. Our figures at present indicate that 59 per cent of voters turned out in the first phase of this election. This figure is likely increase fractionally because the migrant votes and postal votes have yet not been received. These will be added to the overall percentage which will go up. Further, exact voting figures will be known when the polling staff reach the collection centres," he told reporters here.

"ECI has made efforts to make this election all-inclusive. Voters above 85 years of age and those with more than 50 per cent disability have been given the right to vote from home. We also improved facilities at the polling stations like separate queues for male and female voters, ramps for voters with disability, safe drinking water, toilets etc," the CEO said.

The first phase of the elections covered 24 Assembly constituencies in Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, and Shopian districts in the Kashmir Valley and Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar districts in the Jammu division.

Giving constituency-wise voting turnout figures, Pole said that the Inderwal Assembly constituency in Kishtwar recorded the highest turnout at 80.06 per cent and Tral in Pulwama district recorded the lowest turnout at 40.58 per cent.

The highest turnout in the Kashmir Valley was in D.H. Pora in Kulgam, at 68 per cent.

Among other constituencies, Anantnag recorded 41.58 per cent, Anantnag West 45.93 per cent, Banihal 68 per cent, Bhaderwah 65.27 per cent, Devsar 54.73 per cent, Doda 70.21 per cent, Doda West 74.14 per cent, Dooru 57.90 per cent, Kishtwar 75.04 per cent, Kokernag 58 per cent, Kulgam 62.70 per cent, Paddar-Nagseni 76.80 per cent, Pampore 44.78 per cent, Pulwama 50.42 per cent, Rajpora 48.07 per cent, Ramban 67.34 per cent, Shangus-Anantnag East 52.94 per cent, Shopian 54.72 per cent, Srigufwara-Bijbehara 56.02 per cent and Zainpora 52.64 per cent.

Voters were present as polling stations opened on a bright, sunny day and throughout the day, visuals shared by the poll panel showed long lines of voters, both men and women, standing patiently to exercise their franchise and posing enthusiastically afterwards with their ink-marked fingers. A family, which had brought along a toddler and a boy, posed proudly in Kishtwar after voting, while a mother came in to vote in Kishtwar, carrying her swaddled child.

In Doda, Prem Nath, who said he was almost 100 years old (99 years and 6 months), turned out to vote, which he said he had been doing regularly, since the first Lok Sabha elections in 1951-52. Saying he could not speak much, he noted that casting votes was a responsibility in democracy and hence, he regularly came out. He also appealed to others to come out and exercise their franchise.

A 95-year-old man and 82-year-old woman, Bhag Dai also came out to vote in Doda.

Other old-aged and persons with disabilities voters came out to exercise their franchise and were helped in their democratic duty by volunteers at the polling booths.

A total of 23.27 lakh electors are eligible to decide the fate of 229 candidates, including those belonging to the Congress, the BJP, and the PDP among recognised political parties. There are 90 Independents in the fray too.

This is the first Assembly election taking place in J&K after 10 years and in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and the state being downgraded into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.

The contest in the Jammu division is mainly between the BJP and the National Conference-Congress alliance while in the Valley, the contest is multi-cornered between the NC-Congress alliance, the PDP and Independents.