Jammu and Kashmir Voting: PM Modi Encourages Participation in Final Phase
The third phase of voting in Jammu and Kashmir saw a cumulative voter turnout of 11.60% as of 9 am on Tuesday, according to the Election Commission of India. Udhampur district recorded the highest voter turnout of 14.23%, followed by Samba at 13.31%.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed confidence in the participation of women voters and first-time voters. He urged everyone to come forward and cast their votes to make the festival of democracy a success.
Voting is taking place in 40 constituencies across seven districts, with strong security measures in place. At least 415 candidates, including former deputy Chief Ministers Tara Chand of Congress and Muzaffar Hussain Beig, are contesting in this phase.
This election is notable as the first in a decade and the first since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. The National Conference and Congress have formed an alliance, while the People’s Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party are among the other major contenders.
The counting of votes will be done on October 8.
Doubts Revealed
Jammu and Kashmir -: Jammu and Kashmir is a region in northern India. It used to be a state but is now a Union Territory.
PM Modi -: PM Modi is short for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the leader of India.
Udhampur -: Udhampur is a district in Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the places where people are voting.
constituencies -: Constituencies are areas that elect a representative to the government. In this case, there are 40 such areas in Jammu and Kashmir.
districts -: Districts are regions within a state or Union Territory. Jammu and Kashmir has several districts, and voting is happening in seven of them.
candidates -: Candidates are people who are trying to get elected to a government position. There are 415 candidates in this election.
former deputy Chief Ministers -: Former deputy Chief Ministers are people who used to be second-in-command in the state government. Tara Chand and Muzaffar Hussain Beig are two such people.
Article 370 -: Article 370 was a special law that gave Jammu and Kashmir more autonomy than other states. It was removed in 2019.
turnout -: Turnout means the number of people who come to vote. In this case, 11.60% of people had voted by 9 am.