SRINAGAR: Enthusiastic voters, including entire families, mothers with infant children, and a near-centenarian, who has cast his ballot regularly since 1951, thronged polling booths in the first phase of the J&K Assembly elections on Wednesday, with the overall turnout logged at 50.65 per cent till 3 p.m.
The first phase of the elections covers 24 Assembly constituencies in Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, and Shopian districts in the Kashmir Valley and Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar districts in the Jammu division.
As per the Election Commission data, the highest percentage was recorded in the Inderwal constituency in Kishtwar, at 72.20 per cent, followed by the Padder-Nagseni seat in the same district at 71.08 per cent.
In the Kashmir Valley, the highest turnout so far was in Pahalgam, in the Anantnag district, at 58.89 per cent, followed by 55.14 per cent in the D.H. Pora constituency in Kulgam. The lowest was in Tral, in Pulwama district, at 32.87 per cent, and slightly above in Anantnag, at 34.71 per cent.
J&K's Chief Electoral Officer P.K.Pole had, earlier in the day, said the poll process is continuing peacefully in the first phase of the elections, and is likely to cross the 58 per cent that was recorded during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
"I am confident we would have 60 per cent voting in the first phase of J&K Assembly elections. Voting is taking place in large numbers and this trend indicates high voter turnout, he said, adding that voting has been peaceful everywhere so far.
The CEO said 19 polling stations have been set up for Kashmiri migrant voters.
Visuals shared by the poll panel showed long lines of voters, both men and women, standing patiently to exercise their franchise and posing enthusiastically afterwards with their ink-marked fingers. A family, which had brought along a toddler and a boy, posed proudly in Kishtwar after voting, while a mother came in to vote in Kishtwar, carrying her swaddled child.
In Doda, Prem Nath, who said he was almost 100 years old (99 years and 6 months), turned out to vote, which he said he had been doing regularly, since the first Lok Sabha elections in 1951-52. Saying he could not speak much, he noted that casting votes was a responsibility in democracy and hence, he regularly came out. He also appealed to others to come out and exercise their franchise.
A 95-year-old man and 82-year-old woman, Bhag Dai also came out to vote in Doda.
Other old-aged and persons with disabilities voters came out to exercise their franchise and were helped in their democratic duty by volunteers at the polling booths.
A total of 23.27 lakh electors are eligible to decide the fate of 229 candidates, including those belonging to the Congress, the BJP, and the PDP among recognised political parties. There are 90 Independents in the fray too.
This is the first Assembly election taking place in J&K after 10 years and in the wake of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and the state being downgraded into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
The contest in the Jammu division is mainly between the BJP and the National Conference-Congress alliance while in the Valley, the contest is multi-cornered between the NC-Congress alliance, the PDP and Independents.