Exciting Start to Jammu and Kashmir Elections: High Voter Turnout in First Phase
The first phase of voting in Jammu and Kashmir began with a voter turnout of 11.11% as of 9 am on Wednesday, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). Kishtwar led with a 14.83% turnout, while Pulwama recorded 9.18%. Other districts like Anantnag, Doda, Kulgam, Ramban, and Shopian also saw significant participation.
District Election Officer, Doda, Harvinder Singh, expressed enthusiasm, stating, “Voting has started in polling stations. We are getting to see a lot of enthusiasm from the people. I hope that this time we will be able to record the voter turnout well. A very good polling exercise is going on in a free and fair manner…Those who are sitting at home, they should come out of their houses and exercise their voting rights…”
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kulgam, Athar Aamir, noted the smooth process and long queues at polling stations. “Elections are happening very smoothly everywhere, voting is happening at our 372 polling stations. Mock poll was completed at 7 AM at 100% polling stations. There are long queues at several polling stations. We have kept web casting camera stations as well and we monitor them from the district level control room. We also monitor every polling station from here. We are expecting a very good voter turnout. All arrangements are in place…Over 1300 polling agents are present at different polling stations across J&K,” he said.
The first phase includes 24 assembly constituencies, with 16 in the Kashmir region and 8 in the Jammu region. Voting began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm. BJP leader Altaf Thakur highlighted the excitement among voters, saying, “People are very excited and have been standing in long queues to cast their votes since 6 am. Jammu and Kashmir has changed. People want to get their voices heard through democracy. Kashmir has now rejected terrorism, separatism, bombs, grenades and bullets and has chosen the ballot paper and wants to express itself through the ballot paper. After 2019, people are proud of Indian democracy and today people are coming out to exercise their democratic rights. It seems that PM Modi’s slogan of New Jammu and Kashmir has become successful now.”
Jammu & Kashmir JD(U) president GM Shaheen predicted a record-breaking turnout, stating, “I told you that this election will break records. Today’s election is against dynasty politics in Jammu and Kashmir…I am confident that this election will break records and the voter turnout will be the highest in the country. People were very upset and people were waiting for the election. This election is for the government, for a good government.”
The second and third phases of voting will be held on September 25 and October 1, respectively, with vote counting on October 8.
Doubts Revealed
Jammu and Kashmir -: Jammu and Kashmir is a region in northern India. It is known for its beautiful mountains and valleys.
Voter Turnout -: Voter turnout means the number of people who come to vote in an election. High voter turnout means many people are voting.
Kishtwar -: Kishtwar is a district in Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the places where people are voting in the elections.
District Election Officer -: A District Election Officer is a person in charge of making sure the elections run smoothly in a district.
Deputy Commissioner -: A Deputy Commissioner is an important government official in charge of administration in a district.
BJP -: BJP stands for Bharatiya Janata Party. It is one of the major political parties in India.
JD(U) -: JD(U) stands for Janata Dal (United). It is another political party in India.
Altaf Thakur -: Altaf Thakur is a leader from the BJP party.
GM Shaheen -: GM Shaheen is the president of the JD(U) party.
Phases of Voting -: Phases of voting means that the election is happening in different parts at different times. In this case, there are three phases.
Counting -: Counting means adding up all the votes to see who won the election.
