People wait in queues to cast their votes at a polling booth during the third and final phase of the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections, in Jammu, J&K, Tuesday, October 1, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: Over 44 percent turnout was recorded till 11 am as polling is underway for the 40 Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir in the last phase of elections on Tuesday.
“All 40 Assembly constituencies across seven districts of J&K have recorded 44.08 percent voter turnout till 1 pm," communicated the office of Chief Electoral Officer, J&K.
The polling, which began at 7 am, will determine the fate of 415 candidates, including two former deputy CMs Tara Chand and Muzaffar Beig.
Over 39 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise and Election Commission has set up 5,060 polling stations across Jammu and Kashmir for smooth conduct of polling.
In the last phase, polling is happening in 16 Assembly segments of three border districts of north Kashmir – Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora and tight security measures have been put in place to ensure peaceful voting.
Over 400 companies of security forces have been deployed to maintain law and order during the voting period.
In Jammu region, voting is taking place in 24 constituencies spread over four districts of Jammu, Udhampur, Samba, and Kathua.
Long denied the right to vote, members of the Valmiki community exercised their franchise for the first time in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections and termed it as a “historic moment”.
The Valmikis were originally brought to J&K in 1957 from Punjab’s Gurdaspur district for sanitation work by the State government.
Assembly Elections 2024 | In the first assembly polls since the Lok Sabha elections, Narendra Modi and the BJP face a rejuvenated and vindicated Opposition in the Haryana assembly polls. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir is voting after almost a decade and it remains to be seen how the abrogation of Article 370 has impacted the political landscape of the Valley. Track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.