Voting in underway in Jammu and Kashmir for the third and last phase of assembly polls to pick representatives for 40 of its 90 constituencies. Of the 40 constituencies, 24 come under the Jammu division and the rest are in Kashmir.
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Polls are being held in 40 constituencies in Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur districts of Jammu division, and in Baramulla and Kupwara districts of Kashmir Valley. The Jammu district has 11, Samba three, Kathua six, and Udhampur four Assembly constituencies while Baramulla has seven, Bandipora three, and Kupwara district has six seats.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged voters to come forward and cast their votes to “make the festival of democracy a success”. “I am confident that apart from the young friends who are going to vote for the first time, women power will also participate in the voting in large numbers,” he said in an online post.
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There are hopes that this phase will see the maximum turnout. The turnouts for the first phase had fallen short of the figure recorded in 2014. The second phase, held in some of the areas that were once dominated by terrorists, recorded lower figures.
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In the first phase of election held on September 18, the voting figure was high. The turnout for the 24 constituencies across seven districts where polls were held, according to figures from the Election Commission was 61.13 per cent. It was still lower than the record figure of 2014, which was 66 per cent. In the second phase of the election, a voter turnout of 56 per cent was recorded — lower than 57.31 per cent of 2014.
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The election, held after a decade, is the first in the Union Territory, where restoration of statehood has emerged as the biggest issue.
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While the BJP has already promised that statehood will be restored, the Congress and the National Conference, which are contesting the polls as an alliance, said ensuring that it is done tops their agenda.
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This election is also a first in terms of inclusiveness, with many former separatists in fray. Among them are members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, the Islamic outfit which, along with Hurriyat Conference, routinely gave the election boycott calls in the Valley. Its candidates are contesting as Independents.
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In 2014, the BJP formed a ruling alliance with the PDP after the election results presented a hung house. But the alliance of the two ideologically mismatched parties was short-lived and Jammu and Kashmir came under President’s Rule in 2018.
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This time, Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a triangular contest between the BJP, Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party and the National Conference-Congress alliance.
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The first two rounds of elections were held on September 18 and 25 and counting of votes will be taken up on October 8.