The first phase of Jammu and Kashmir’s historic Assembly elections, held after a decade, recorded a 58.85% voter turnout. These elections are the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, which ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and reorganized it into Union Territories.
Voting took place in 24 Assembly constituencies spread across seven districts. Inderwal recorded the highest turnout at 80.06%, followed by Padder-Nagseni at 76.80%, Kishtwar at 75.04%, and Doda West at 74.14%. In the Kashmir Valley, Pahalgam registered the highest turnout at 67.86%, followed by DH Pora at 65.21%.
However, the voter turnout in Pulwama district remained below 50%, with the lowest turnout of 40.58% in the Tral constituency.
The elections remained peaceful, with no untoward incidents reported. According to the Election Commission, a total of 23.27 lakh voters were eligible to vote in the first phase, including 11.76 lakh males, 11.51 lakh females, and 60 third-gender voters. A total of 219 candidates contested the elections, with 90 running as independents.
Major regional parties such as the National Conference (NC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Congress, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) participated, along with independent candidates and smaller parties like the People’s Conference.
Elaborate security arrangements, including multi-tier forces from the Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) and Jammu and Kashmir Police, ensured smooth voting across the region.
The second phase of voting is scheduled for September 25, and the third on October 1, with vote counting on October 8.
