Srinagar: More than 56 percent voters on Wednesday exercised their franchise in the second phase of polling for 26 seats in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls.
The polling passed off peacefully, officials said.
J&K Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole, while giving the data for Wednesday’s polling, said an estimated 56.05 percent voter turnout was recorded in the six districts.
Pole said the data was tentative and can go up slightly as polling was going on at some polling stations even at 6.45 pm.
He said the polling was peaceful and by and large smooth.
“The polling was overall peaceful. Some stray incidents like arguments, etc., took place, but there is no need for re-poll anywhere,” he added.
The voting began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements and concluded at 6 pm.
As per available data, as many as 20 of the 26 assembly segments that went to polls on Wednesday in the second phase of voting in Jammu and Kashmir registered lower voter turnout than that in the 2014 assembly elections.
According to the data of the Election Commission of India, the overall voting percentage in the 2014 polls was above 60 percent for the assembly segments in the six districts that went to polls on Wednesday.
There were 25 assembly segments in Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam, Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch districts in the 2014 polls. However, the number increased by one seat to 26 in these six districts following the delimitation exercise undertaken in 2022.
While five assembly segments in Srinagar district recorded a higher turnout than the 2014 polls, all other assembly segments in the five remaining districts recorded a lower voter turnout.
Budgam (66.32 percent in 2014) and Chrar-e-Sharief (82.44 percent in 2014) assembly segments in central Kashmir witnessed the biggest drop of 15 percent voter turnout followed by Budhal (82.50 percent in 2014) assembly segment which saw a dip of 14 percent.
While Shri Mata Vaishno Devi segment in Reasi district recorded the highest turnout of 79.95 percent this year, it is still less than 82.68 percent recorded in 2014 when the constituency was known as Gool Arnas.
Habbakadal assembly segment, which has a large migrant voter population, recorded the lowest turnout of 18.39 percent compared to 21.31 percent that was registered 10 years ago.
The voter turnout in none of the assembly segments, which registered an increase over the 2014 figures, however, crossed the 38 percent mark while all the constituencies which saw a dip in the turnout still crossed 50 percent.
According to Pole, the segment-wise turnout in Jammu division seats was Gulabgarh 73.49 percent, Surankote 75.11 percent, Reasi 71.00 percent, Nowshera 72.00 percent, Kalakote-Sunderbani 68.71 percent, Poonch-Haveli 74.92 percent, Rajouri 70.64 percent, Budhal 68.58 percent, Thannamandi 69.66 percent and Mendhar 71.08 percent.
In the Kashmir valley seats, Khansahib recorded 71.66 percent turnout, Kangan 71.89 percent, Chrar-e-Sharief 67.44 percent, Chadoora 55.25 percent, Ganderbal 56.97 percent, Beerwah 63.31 percent, Budgam 51.13 percent, Hazratbal 30.69 percent, Khanyar 26.07 percent, Habbakadal 18.39 percent, Lal Chowk 32.11 percent, Channapora 29.35 percent, Zadibal 30.73 percent, Central Shalteng 31.07 percent and Eidgah 36.93 percent.
