J&K Assembly election phase 3: Polling in 40 seats today
The third and final phase of Jammu and Kashmir's Assembly elections began on Tuesday morning, with voting taking place in 40 constituencies. Notably, these are the first polls for the 90-member assembly in the region in a decade. The first phase took place on September 18, followed by the second on September 25. The counting of votes will be done on October 8 and the results will be declared shortly after by the Election Commission of India.
Key parties and voter turnout for final phase
The big players in this election are the Congress, the National Conference, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Peoples's Democratic Party (PDP), the Apni Party, the CPI(M), the J&K People's Conference, and the Democratic Progressive Azad Party. Over 3.9 million voters get to show their electoral power across seven districts. In this final round, 415 candidates from different parties and independents are in the race for seats.
Polling stations and security measures for election
The ECI has set up 5,060 polling stations across seven districts for this voting phase. Each station will have a team of four election personnel, making it over 20,000 polling staff deployed in total. The districts include Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipora, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, and Jammu. Stringent security measures have been implemented to ensure a smooth and peaceful voting process from 7:00am to 6:00pm local time on Tuesday.
Key constituencies and candidates in final phase
In Jammu, 24 seats will see a tight race between the BJP and the Congress. Over in North Kashmir, 16 seats will be a battleground for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance candidates from the National Conference-Congress and the representatives of the Jammu Kashmir People's Conference and Awami Itihad Party. Some key constituencies to watch out for include Karnah, Trehgam, and Kupwara in the Kashmir division, as well as Udhampur West, Udhampur East, and Chenani in the Jammu division.
