Final Phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections Commences

Polling for the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections begins today with 40 constituencies voting. Over 3.9 million voters are eligible. The elections, the first since Article 370's revocation, involve 415 candidates. Vote counting is scheduled for October 8.

The third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections begins at 7 AM today, with 40 constituencies participating. Out of these, 24 are situated in the Jammu division, while the remaining are in the Kashmir Valley.

According to the Election Commission, over 3.9 million voters across seven districts are eligible to vote in this phase, which will take place from 7 AM to 6 PM. Security measures have been implemented to ensure a peaceful voting process.

A total of 415 candidates, including former deputy chief ministers Tara Chand (Congress) and Muzaffar Hussain Beig, are contesting in this phase. Mock polling has been initiated in various polling booths. Meanwhile, the BJP candidate from Bahu assembly constituency, Vikram Randhawa, offered prayers at the Bawe Wali Mata Mahakali Mandir ahead of the elections. His main opponents include Congress' Taranjit Singh Tony and PDP's Varinder Singh.

"I prayed that Mata Rani strengthens the nationalist powers. These elections will take Jammu and Kashmir in a new direction. J&K has decided to take the best decision this time," Randhawa told ANI. The campaigning for the final phase concluded on Sunday evening.

This election is significant as it marks the first in a decade and the first since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. The three-phase election, comprising a multi-party contest for the 90 seats across the former state, has seen alliances like National Conference (NC) and Congress, while PDP and BJP also remain major contenders.

The first and second phases of voting were held on September 18 and 25, respectively, with voter turnouts of 61% and 57.31%, according to the Election Commission of India.

The campaign witnessed heated debates over issues such as Pakistan, Article 370, terrorism, and reservation, involving major political parties including BJP, Congress, NC, and PDP. High-profile leaders, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and former J-K chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti, were actively campaigning.

The votes will be counted on October 8.

(With inputs from agencies.)