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J&K Polls: Around 39 Lakh Voters To Decide Fate Of 415 Candidates In Final Phase
More than 20,000 polling staff were deployed on Monday across seven districts of Jammu and Kashmir in preparation for the third and final phase of assembly elections, which will decide the outcome for 415 candidates, including former deputy chief ministers Tara Chand and Muzaffar Baig. The elections, set for October 1, will see 39.18 lakh eligible voters casting their ballots at 5,060 polling stations, covering 40 assembly segments in Jammu, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, Baramulla, Bandipora, and Kupwara.
Jammu & Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Pandurang K Pole stated that voters will cast their ballots in 24 assembly constituencies in the Jammu region and 16 in the Kashmir Valley during this critical phase.
Notably, this phase marks the participation of West Pakistani refugees, the Valmiki Samaj, and the Gorkha community, who were granted voting rights in assembly, urban local body, and panchayat elections after the abrogation of Article 370. Previously, they could only vote in block development council and district development council elections in 2019 and 2020.
Among 415 candidates, notable contenders in the fray include People’s Conference chairperson Sajjad Lone, contesting from two seats in Kupwara, and National Panthers Party India president Dev Singh, contesting from the Chenani seat in Udhampur. Other prominent candidates include former ministers 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), and Manohar Lal Sharma (Billawar).
According to PTI, Anand Jain, Jammu zone Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), assured that adequate security measures are in place to ensure a peaceful and terror-free election. Thousands of election staff, equipped with polling material, departed from district headquarters to their assigned polling stations earlier today.