Enthusiastic voters, including families, mothers with infants, and even a near-centenarian, flocked to polling booths during the first phase of the J&K Assembly elections on Wednesday. By 3 p.m., the overall turnout reached 50.65 percent.
The first phase covers 24 Assembly constituencies across Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, and Shopian districts in the Kashmir Valley, as well as Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar districts in Jammu. According to the Election Commission, the Inderwal constituency in Kishtwar recorded the highest turnout at 72.20 percent, followed closely by the Padder-Nagseni seat at 71.08 percent.
In the Kashmir Valley, Pahalgam saw a turnout of 58.89 percent, while D.H. Pora in Kulgam recorded 55.14 percent. The lowest turnout was in Tral, at 32.87 percent, and Anantnag followed at 34.71 percent. J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer P.K. Pole expressed confidence that the turnout could surpass the 58 percent recorded during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Pole noted that the voting process remained peaceful, with 19 polling stations set up specifically for Kashmiri migrant voters. Visuals from the polling stations showed long lines of voters eagerly awaiting their turn. In Kishtwar, a family proudly posed with their ink-marked fingers after voting. In Doda, 99-year-old Prem Nath, who has voted since the first Lok Sabha elections in 1951, encouraged others to participate in the democratic process.
A total of 23.27 lakh electors are eligible to vote for 229 candidates, including those from recognized political parties like the Congress, BJP, and PDP, as well as 90 Independents. This marks the first Assembly election in J&K after a decade and follows the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, which resulted in the state being restructured into two Union Territories. The main contest in Jammu is between the BJP and the National Conference-Congress alliance, while the Valley features a multi-cornered battle among the NC-Congress alliance, the PDP, and Independents.
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