63.88% turnout in three phases: EC

The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday said Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 63.88 per cent voter turnout in the Assembly elections.

In the third and final phase of polling for 40 segments, the voter turnout was 69.69 per cent. Also, women voters outshone their male counterparts in the third phase, as turnout for female voters was 70 per cent, while turnout for male voters was 69.37 per cent.

In a release issued on Thursday, the EC further said in the third phase of polling, with 81.47 per cent per cent polling, the Marh (SC) segment saw the highest polling in all 40 seats, followed by Chhamb with 80 per cent turnout. Chhamb also recorded the highest turnout of female voters at 83.53 per cent.

In the final phase, the lowest voter turnout was recorded in the Kashmir’s Sopore constituency (45.32 per cent), which used to be a “poll boycott bastion”.

Meanwhile, the first and second phases had registered 61.38 per cent and 57.31 per cent polling, respectively.

“The Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir has confirmed that all polling parties have returned safely and scrutiny has been completed in the presence of the candidates or their authorised agents,” the Election Commission stated on Thursday.

The poll body added that the final votes polled would be available after the counting of postal ballots, which are given to service voters, absentee voters, including people aged above 85 years, people with disabilities or engaged in essential services, and voters on election duty.

The overall turnout in the Assembly elections — being held in Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of 10 years —also surpassed the UT’s voter turnout in this year’s Lok Sabha poll (58.58 per cent). However, it is less than the turnout during 2014 Assembly elections. Jammu and Kashmir saw a total turnout of 65.84 per cent in 2014 poll, while the overall figure was 61.01 per cent in the 2008 Assembly poll.

Meanwhile, despite an increase in the number of assembly constituencies from 83 in 2014 to 90 in 2024 in J&K, the elections were completed in three phases this time as against five phases in 2014.

Sources noted that no major law and order incidents related to the election were reported, a significant improvement from 2014, when over 170 incidents were reported — including 87 on polling days.

Role of money and muscle power was also curtailed to a significant extent, as vigilance and seizures were fortified by the coordinated efforts of enforcement agencies, resulting in seizures worth Rs 130 crore, highest ever in the history of J&K elections. It surpassed Rs 100.94 crore-mark seized during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.