71% voting recorded in 2nd phase of Jammu & Kashmir poll

[Nitin Goyal]

NEW DELHI: Voting in the second phase of Jammu & Kashmir election ended on Tuesday with a high voter turnout. According to Election Commission officials, 71 per cent voting was recorded in the state.

In Kashmir valley, the turnout was low in the initial hours when the polling started, but gained momentum as the day progressed. Voters could not come out in large numbers in south Kashmir's Devsar, Homeshallibugh, Noorabad and Kulgam constituencies initially.

However, men and women lined up in all the five polling stations in Handwara town. Many of the voters said they were voting for a "change".

READ ALSO: 65.46 per cent votes polled in 2nd phase in Jharkhand

A soldier stands guard as voters wait in a long queue at a polling station to cast their votes for assembly election in Handwara district of Jammu & Kashmir, on December 2, 2014.

According to EC, Reasi in recorded 80 per cent polling. Border areas of Poonch and Kupwara 78 and 68 per cent respectively.

READ ALSO: Kashmiris reject poll boycott calls with record 71% turnout in 1st phase

Voters wait in a queue at a polling station to cast their votes for assembly elections in Handwara district of Jammu & Kashmir, on December 2, 2014.

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71% voting recorded in 2nd phase of Jammu & Kashmir poll - The Times of India

 

[Ammyy]

71% turnout in second phase of Jammu and Kashmir polls

A jawan stands guard as voters wait in a long queue at a polling station in Handwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.


In a rerun of record polling in the first phase, a 71 per cent voter turnout was registered in the second phase of incident-free Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday as the electorate in the 18 seats again ignored boycott call by separatist groups.

Election commission officials said the figure could go up by one to two per cent once the final tally is available.

Dealing a serious blow to separatist politics, enthusiastic voters stood in serpentine queues at several polling stations waiting for their turn.

The first phase of the five-phase polls for 15 seats on November 25 had witnessed a record 71.28 per cent polling.

“The latest figures that we have for the second phase of polls in Jammu and Kashmir is 71 per cent. We expect these numbers to go up by 1-2 per cent further,” Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi told reporters in Delhi.

Mr. Zutshi said that during the entire phase on Tuesday, where 18 Assembly seats in five districts went to polls, “no untoward incident” took place and the entire event was peaceful. Of the five districts, two were in the Valley and three in Jammu.

“There was no incident that vitiated the poll process in the State during this phase,” he said, adding that “pretty heavy” voting was reported in Reasi and Udhampur districts.

Tuesday’s poll percentage, the Deputy EC said, is higher than the figure of 61.04 per cent polling during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and 68.79 per cent recorded during the 2008 Assembly elections.

The corresponding figures for voting on Tuesday in the five districts stood at Reasi (80 per cent), Udhampur (76 per cent), Poonch (75 per cent), Kupwara (68 per cent) and Kulgam (above 60 per cent).

He said the weather was “very supportive” during the polls today and there was no snowfall.

Tuesday’s phase involved an electorate of 15.35 lakh. A total of 175 candidates, including four sitting Ministers and 11 other sitting MLAs were in the fray.

There was a tight security cover in Kulgam and Kupwara districts following back-to-back attacks on two sarpanches by militants over the last two days in which one was killed.

Of the 18 constituencies, Handwara in north Kashmir Kupwara district was in focus as separatist-turned-mainstream politician Sajad Gani Lone is making a debut in Assembly elections after unsuccessfully contesting the Lok Sabha polls in 2009.

Although the cold weather conditions and heavy fog posed a hindrance in some areas in the early hours, voters started flocking the polling stations as the day progressed and the sun came out.

71% turnout in second phase of Jammu and Kashmir polls - The Hindu

 

[HRK]

why the turnout is not 91% or 101% .....

 

[Ammyy]

why the turnout is not 91% or 101% .....

Because this enough to realize reality to some day dreamers.

Now Pakistan go and cry about Kashmir in UN as much as they can

 

[HRK]

Because this enough to realize reality to some day dreamers.

agreed 'Modified' effect is quit 'visible' which will 'modify' India ....

Now Pakistan go and cry about Kashmir in UN as much as they can

if that is the case you people are all allowed held election every week .....

 

[psynic]

If the BJP is of some use, it is this, it is this!

 

[Kaniska]

These Kashmir people are so confused....On one hand they like Pakistan on the other hand they do not want to loose the benifit of democracy which is a rare thing in Islamic world.....

 

[Aamna Ali]

These Kashmir people are so confused....On one hand they like Pakistan on the other hand they do not want to loose the benifit of democracy which is a rare thing in Islamic world.....

On one hand they see the terrible situation of infrastructure and law and order in AJK and on the other, they can't tolerate the army which breathes down their neck.

 

[sree45]

Great work. The process of "properly" integrating J&K into Rest of India has begun..

Great work. The process of "properly" integrating J&K into Rest of India has begun..

 

[Jason bourne]

These Kashmir people are so confused....On one hand they like Pakistan on the other hand they do not want to loose the benifit of democracy which is a rare thing in Islamic world.....

Who said they like pakistan ?

 

[Sine Nomine]

On one hand they see the terrible situation of infrastructure and law and order in AJK and on the other, they can't tolerate the army which breathes down their neck.

There is no terrible condition of law and order and infrastructure in AJK.Ajk is one the most developed and least poor region in Pakistan.

 

[Alfa-Fighter]

There is no terrible condition of law and order and infrastructure in AJK.Ajk is one the most developed and least poor region in Pakistan.

Is their any railway train in AJK?

 

[psynic]

On one hand they see the terrible situation of infrastructure and law and order in AJK and on the other, they can't tolerate the army which breathes down their neck.

It's not just AJK or the economy. As far as I can see, Pakistani involvement has generally been bad news for them, be it terrorist action or the Indian response. The overall mood was always for a free state on both the sides.

 

[Bang Galore]

These elections and the turnout pretty much messes up Pakistan's Kashmir position badly. Not many in the international community will overlook such heavy participation. Pakistan's job was always hard to get favorable (to Pakistan) attention on Kashmir, this makes it that much more difficult.

 

[SpArK]

Re-Emergence of our state.