Srinagar: The third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections held on Tuesday recorded a turnout of 68.72 per cent which was termed as ‘historic’ by the authorities as it surpassed the turnouts of the previous phases and also the recently held Lok Sabha polls.
The first and the second phase of the voting held on September 18 and 25 had seen a turnout of 61.38 per cent and 57.3 per cent, respectively. The Election Commission of India (ECI) said that in the third phase, the Chamb segment of the Jammu region recorded a turnout of 76.10 per cent whereas in the Kashmir Valley Gurez segment recorded the highest voter turnout at 75.89 per cent.
The ECI, however, said that these figures may go up slightly as the data from far off polling stations was still awaited. They said the polling in all 40 segments - 24 in the Jammu region and 16 in the Valley - passed off in “a peaceful and celebratory atmosphere”.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, “The peaceful and participative elections are historic, wherein democracy is taking root more profoundly than ever before, driven by the will of the people of J&K. The elections were a resounding statement in favour of democracy.”
A significant feature of the third phase was the participation of refugees of the erstwhile West Pakistan along with the Valmiki and Gurkha communities for the first time. Before the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, they were only allowed to vote in Lok Sabha elections. The enthusiastic members of these communities turned up at the polling stations in the Jammu areas in large numbers.
“Scenes of voters patiently waiting in lines at polling stations, set against the scenic backdrop of the region, highlighted the people’s strong faith in democracy,” an ECI statement said. It added, “The festive mood and enthusiastic participation were evident across all districts that went for polls in three-phased elections, underscoring a renewed spirit of civic participation and hope for a new era with people deciding their own future.”
The ECI claimed that its chief Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu have delivered on their promise of ensuring democratic resurgence in J&K.
As the Assembly elections in J&K were held after a gap of over ten years, people showed a lot of interest in the democratic exercise, except in capital Srinagar where almost three-fourths of the electors stayed away from the polling booths on September 25. Former chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah had termed the poor turnout in Srinagar as a reaction to the Centre’s claims of normalcy and acceptance of the revocation of Article 370.
There are over 900 candidates in the fray for 90 Assembly seats and most constituencies witnessed multi-cornered and a few direct contests as a record number of independents also sought entry into the assembly. Many of those who threw their hat in the ring were former separatists. Jammu and Kashmir has 88.03 lakh registered voters including 43.13 lakh female and 168 third-gender electors.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha extended hearty congratulations to the voters of the third phase of Assembly elections for the record turnout. In a social media post, he said, “Congratulations to the people for a record turnout in the final phase of Assembly elections. I applaud the tireless efforts of election officials, district admin, J&K police and our security forces for successfully conducting multi-phased polls and strengthening the pillars of democracy.”