Voter Turnout Decreases in Jammu & Kashmir's Second Phase of Elections
Voter Turnout: In the second phase of the Wednesday Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, voter turnout has seen a drop compared to the 2014 elections. Of the 26 assembly seats that went to the polls, 20 reported a lower turnout than in the previous election. According to the Election Commission of India, the overall voter turnout was 57%, compared to over 60% in 2014.
Breakdown of Seats and Districts
The second voting phase included 15 seats in the Kashmir Valley and 11 in the Jammu division. The six districts that participated were Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam, Reasi, Rajouri, and Poonch. In 2014, these districts had 25 seats, but following a delimitation process in 2022, the total increased to 26.
District-wise Voter Turnout
Notably, five assembly segments in Srinagar saw a higher voter turnout than in 2014. However, the other 20 seats across five districts registered a decline in voter participation. For instance:
- Budgam recorded 51.09% voter turnout, down from 66.32% in 2014.
- Chrar-e-Sharief saw a turnout of 70.26%, a drop from 82.44%.
- Budhal in Jammu recorded 70.14%, down from 82.50%.
On the positive side, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi segment in Reasi district had the highest turnout at 80.74%, but even that was slightly lower than the 82.68% recorded in 2014.
Lowest and Highest Turnouts
Habbakadal in old Srinagar recorded the lowest voter turnout at 19.8%, marginally lower than its 21.31% turnout in 2014. In contrast, seats in the Jammu division saw higher participation, such as:
- Gulabgarh: 73.49%
- Surankote: 74.95%
- Reasi: 72.06%
Voter Turnout in Kashmir Valley
In the Kashmir Valley, Khansahib recorded 72.04%, while Ganderbal and Beerwah recorded 56.6% and 66.9% respectively. However, other regions such as Hazratbal (32.35%), Khanyar (26.08%), and Lal Chowk (32.67%) reported lower participation.
First Election in a Decade
This assembly election is the first in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade, and the first since Article 370 was revoked in August 2019. The voter turnout for the first phase of the elections, conducted on September 18, stood at 61.38%.
Also read: Kashmiri Pandits are refugees from Pakistan... What Rahul Gandhi said this in Jammu
Final Phase and Vote Counting
The final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections is scheduled for October 1, and the counting of votes will take place on October 8.
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