J-K elections phase III: Over 65 pc turnout as three Kashmir border districts see highest polling in 30 years

JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Oct 1 : The three border districts of Kashmir -- Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara -- registered a voter turnout of 60 percent, with traditional boycott bastions of Sopore and Baramulla towns witnessing the highest turnout in an election in the last three decades.
However, the turnout in the 16 Assembly segments of these three districts on Tuesday was nearly 5 percent less than what was recorded in the 2014 Assembly polls.
A voter turnout of 65.48 percent was recorded till 5 pm in the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Tuesday, according to Election Commission data.
Polling began at 7 am and concluded at 6pm on Tuesday in 40 Assembly segments across seven districts, including the winter capital Jammu.
The votes will be counted on October 8.
According to the election commission data, Sopore town, which was once a hotbed of separatism and militancy, witnessed a turnout of 41.44 percent—11 percent more than the 2014 Assembly polls.
In the Baramulla Assembly seat, nearly 48 percent of voters exercised their franchise. The turnout in this election was 8 percent more than in 2014.
The Pattan Assembly segment also registered a higher voter turnout compared to 2014, as nearly 61 percent of the electorate cast their votes.
One of the key factors attributed to the higher voter turnout in Sopore was the presence of Aijaz Guru, the brother of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, as a contestant.
In Baramulla, too, Jamaat-e-Islami-backed independent candidate Abdul Rehman Shalla entering the fray seems to have had a positive effect on the voter turnout.
However, some of the constituencies that had seen high voter turnout in the Assembly elections 10 years ago, saw a drop in percentage.
Among the areas that saw a substantial dip were Lok Sabha member Sheikh Abdul Rashid's native Langate segment and Kupwara and Handwara segments, the two seats where People's Conference president Sajad Lone is contesting.
Border constituencies of Uri and Karnah also saw more than a 10 percent dip in the turnout.
While 82.85 percent of voters had cast their votes in Uri in 2014, the number fell to 64.81 percent this time.
Sonawari segment in Bandipora district also saw a dip of around 15 percent -- from 80.77 percent in 2014 to 65.56 percent this time.
Long queues outside polling stations since early morning marked the enthusiasm among people who voted for the first time in the Assembly elections post the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
More than 39.18 lakh eligible voters are set to decide the fate of 415 candidates, including two former deputy chief ministers, Tara Chand and Muzaffar Baig, and several former ministers and legislators.
Officials said polling was going on peacefully in all segments, including special polling stations along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) with no untoward incident reported from anywhere.
A voter turnout of 65.48 percent was recorded till 5 pm. PTI