Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Polls: West Pakistani refugees vote for the first time as final phase sees brisk voting

Voters queued up early on Tuesday at polling stations in 40 seats across seven districts of Jammu and Kashmir as polling for the third and final phase of the assembly elections got underway, officials said.

More than 3.9 million eligible voters will decide the fate of 415 candidates, including two former deputy chief ministers, Tara Chand and Muzaffar Baig.

The voting, which commenced at 7 am, is progressing peacefully amid tight security arrangements, the officials said.

The Election Commission of India reported an overall voter turnout of 11.6 per cent by 9 am. Samba district in Jammu recorded the highest turnout of 13.3 per cent, while Baramulla in Kashmir recorded 8.8 per cent turnout till 9 am. Among the seats, Chenani in Jammu recorded about 15 per cent voting, while Sopore seat saw 6.7 per cent turnout so far.

According to the officials, “moderate to heavy” polling is going on in most of the assembly segments in north Kashmir.

Polling is underway in three border districts of north Kashmir – Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara.

The assembly segments where polling is being held are Baramulla, Uri, Rafiabad, Pattan, Gulmarg, Sopore and Wagoora-Kreeri in Baramulla district; Kupwara, Karnah, Trehgam, Handwara, Lolab and Langate in Kupwara district; and Bandipora, Sonawari and Gurez in Bandipora district.

A total of 202 candidates are contesting in these 16 segments.

Voting is also being held in 24 assembly constituencies across Udhampur, Samba and Kathua districts in the Jammu region.

West Pakistani refugees thronged polling stations

Having gained voting rights for the first time following the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, enthusiastic West Pakistani refugees, Valmiki Samaj and Gorkha community members thronged polling stations in the early hours.

Previously, these groups were only able to participate in the Block Development Council and the District Development Council polls in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

West Pakistani Refugees (WPRs) are those who migrated from areas in West Pakistan in the wake of partition in 1947 and settled in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, mainly in Jammu, Kathua, and Rajouri districts of Jammu division.

More than 400 companies of security forces, including paramilitary and armed police personnel, have been deployed to ensure smooth voting. To facilitate voter participation, the Election Commission has set up 5,060 polling stations and ensured 100 per cent webcasting across all constituencies. Of the total, 974 polling stations are in urban areas and 4,086 in rural.

Special initiatives to enhance participation include 240 special polling stations, 50 pink polling stations managed by women, and 43 polling stations manned by persons with disabilities.

Additionally, 45 green polling stations have been set up to promote environmental awareness, 29 polling stations are located near the Line of Control and the International Border for border residents, and 33 unique polling stations.

For migrant voters in the Kashmir division, 24 special polling stations – 19 in Jammu, four in Delhi and one in Udhampur district – have been established.

The results will be announced on October 8

The first phase of the elections, held on September 18, saw a voter turnout of 61.38 per cent, while the second phase, on September 25, recorded a turnout of 57.31 per cent.

Among the prominent candidates in the fray in this phase are Raman Bhalla (R S Pura), Usman Majid (Bandipora), Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurez), Taj Mohiuddin (Uri), Basharat Bukhari (Wagoora-Kreeri), Imran Ansari (Pattan), Ghulam Hassan Mir (Gulmarg), Choudhary Lal Singh (Basohli), Rajiv Jasrotia (Jasrota), Manohar Lal Sharma (Billawar), Sham Lal Sharma, and Ajay Kumar Sadhotra (Jammu North).

Polling is scheduled to conclude at 6 pm, with results to be announced on October 8.

(With PTI inputs)