Image Source: Agencies

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), 11.11 per cent of voters cast ballots in J&K during the first two hours of voting.

Given these numbers and the fervor among voters, particularly among young people voting for the first time and female candidates, it is anticipated that the voter turnout in J&K's Assembly elections may surpass the 58% registered in the Lok Sabha polls. Voting is scheduled to run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In the districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, and Kulgam in south Kashmir, middle-aged and elderly residents declared that they would vote in favor of the reinstatement of Article 370 and statehood.

The BJP and the NC-Congress coalition are the main contenders in this phase of the election, but the PDP, which lost the Lok Sabha seat, is still very much in the race for the Assembly.

The Assembly has ninety-nine seats, forty-seven of which come from the Jammu division and forty-seven from the Valley. Nine ST and seven SC seats are among them.

Electors from all around Anantnag

At 11:07 am on September 18, 2024

Voter lists were seen on NC employees in Pulwama's Sirnoo.

18. September 2024, 10:31 a.m.

11.11% of voters cast ballots through 9:00 a.m.

18 September 2024, 9:49 a.m.

Voting in the Kashmir division will take place in 16 seats:

18 September 2024, 9:34 a.m.

Voting will take place in 16 seats in the Kashmir division: Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, DH Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, and Pahalgam. Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban, and Banihal are the eight seats that make up the Jammu division. In the first phase of the election, notable contenders include Ghulam Ahmad Mir, the general secretary of the Congress and a former president of the J&K unit; Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, a senior leader of the CPM; prominent PDP candidate Waheed Para; and Sayar Ahmad Reshi, a Kulgam candidate backed by Jamaat. Pre-election alliances between the National Conference and the Congress and the Awami Ittehad Party, MP for the Lok Sabha Engineer Rashid's group, were formed last week. For the first time in more than 35 years, Jamaat has joined the fight. It also supports a number of independent candidates.

2,19 candidates, 23,27,580 voters

18 September 2024, 9:31 a.m.

Of the 23,27,580 voters, 11,76,462 are men, 11,51,058 are women, and 60 identify as third gender, according to J&K election officials. 1.23 lakh of the 5.66 lakh voters who fall between the ages of 18 and 29 make up the 18 to 19 age group. Up to 3,276 voting places have been set up, and all of them will be broadcast live online, according to officials. They announced that women, people with disabilities, and young people will oversee each of the twenty-four polling booths, which they dubbed "Pink Polling Stations." Additionally, 24 green polling places have been set up to disseminate the word about environmental preservation. The maximum 64 of the 219 contestants are from the Anantnag district, followed by 45 from Pulwama, 27 from Doda, 25 from Kulgam, 22 from Kishtwar, and 21 in Shopian, and 15 in Ramban round out the list.

Distinguished applicants

18 September 2024, 9:30 a.m.

Former head of the J&K Cong Ghulam Ahmad Mir, daughter Iltija of PDP chairman Mehbooba Mufti, Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami of the CPM, Waheed Para of the PDP, and Sayar Ahmad Reshi, who is supported by Jamaat

64 candidates at most in Anantnag

18 September 2024, 9:30 a.m.

The majority of the 219 contenders (64), along with 45 in Pulwama, 27 in Doda, 25 in Kulgam, 22 in Kishtwar, and 21 in Shopian, are from the Anantnag area. Each of the twenty-four polling places will be run by a woman with a disability (referred to as a "Pink Polling Station"). 24 constituencies—16 of which are in the Kashmir division—will vote in the first phase of the elections. The division of Jammu includes eight sectors. 219 nominees were covered by 7 districts (three in Jammu and four in Kashmir). 23.27 lakh voters are qualified to cast ballots

Voters from Kharge to J-K: Every vote matters

18 September 2024, 9:18 a.m.

On Wednesday, Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, asked voters in Jammu and Kashmir to keep in mind before casting their ballots who is accountable for the "travesty" of reducing a state to a Union Territory. According to Kharge, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are keen to defend their rights and begin a new chapter in their history marked by genuine growth and sovereignty. "We urge everyone to use their democratic right and vote in big numbers as the first phase of voting in 24 Assembly constituencies commences," Kharge wrote in a post on X. According to the president of Congress, every single vote has the potential to change the course of history and usher in a period of peace, stability, justice, advancement, and economic empowerment.He declared, "We call on everyone to cast a ballot in this important election and be the agents of change, especially those who have never done so before." "When you cast your ballot, remember who is responsible for this travesty—a state being demoted to a Union Territory for the first time ever," Kharge remarked. He went on, "Let us come together and create a better future for Jammu and Kashmir where everyone's opinions are heard."

As J&K polls open, PM Modi calls on voters to cast their ballots in huge numbers.

18 September 2024, 8:58 a.m.

On Wednesday, Jammu and Kashmir residents were asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cast their ballots in big numbers in order to support the democratic celebration. "I urge all those in constituencies going to the polls today to vote in great numbers and enhance the festival of democracy," Modi wrote in a post on X, coinciding with the start of the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. He urged young people and those who were voting for the first time to use their right to vote.

Amit Shah exhorts J&K voters to cast ballots against unemployment and separatism

18 September 2024, 8:45 a.m.

Home Minister Amit Shah appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to vote in large numbers to form a government which is committed to education of the youth, employment, empowerment of women and ending separatism. Shah also said that only a government with a strong will can create a terror-free Jammu and Kashmir, protect the rights of the citizens there, and speed up development work."Today, my appeal to the voters going to exercise their franchise in the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections is to vote in large numbers to form a government which is committed to education of the youth, employment, empowerment of women and ending separatism and nepotism in the region," the BJP leader wrote on X in Hindi. The home minister also asked people to go for vote before having the breakfast by saying 'Pehle matdan phir jalpan'.

23.27 lakh voters in 24 Assembly constituencies of seven districts

September 18, 2024 8:34 am

As many as 23.27 lakh voters in 24 Assembly constituencies of seven districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian in the Valley and Banihal, Kishtwar and Doda in Jammu division will decide the fate of 219 candidates on Wednesday. Authorities have made extensive arrangements of security for the first phase of the elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Given the high voltage campaign done by various political parties and their candidates, voter turnout is likely to exceed the 58 per cent recorded during the recent Lok Sabha polls.