The 24 assembly seats voting in phase 1 of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir have recorded about 61 per cent voter turnout until 11.30 pm on September 18, the Election Commission of India said. This number will likely be revised upwards. Highest voting was recorded in Inderwal seat with about 82 per cent followed by Kishtwar seat, with with about 78 per cent voter turnout, according to the poll panel.The tentative voter turnout for the 24 assembly seats spread over seven districts was just above 61 per cent at 11.30 pm. This figure may go up slightly as some of the polling stations are located in remote areas of the Pir Panjal Mountain range.Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing first assembly election in ten years with first phase held peacefully in Union Territory (UT) on September 18. The last assembly poll was held in the erstwhile state in 2018.This election also marks the beginning of three-phase assembly polls – the first such exercise in the erstwhile state since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The 24 constituencies voting today are spread across Pir Panjal - 16 in Kashmir and eight in Jammu region.Voting began at 7 am and continued until 6 pm, the Election Commission of India said. In 2014 assembly elections, Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP had won 11 seats of the 24 seats voting today. The BJP and Congress four each while the Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference and CPI(M) had one one seat each.As many as 219 candidates are competing in the first phase. Overall, 23,27,580 electors are eligible to vote, according to the poll panel. Overall 14,000 polling staff are overseeing the process at 3,276 polling stations in the first phase.Important Constituencies The constituencies that voted on September 18 included Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, DH Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, Pahalgam – all in South Kashmir, once a militancy hot bed.In Jammu region, Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban, and Banihal seats voted on Wednesday.Congress-NC allianceThe Congress and the NC are fighting the elections in alliance. The PDP, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), People’s Conference, to name a few, are other parties in the fray. The PDP-BJP government formed after 2014 assembly elections could not last the full 6-year term as BJP withdrew its support to former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018.Since then, the erstwhile state has been under central rule.Key CandidatesProminent candidates from Kashmir whose fate was sealed in EVMs on Wednesday includd CPI-M's Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, who is seeking a fifth consecutive term from Kulgam seat and Congress party's Ghulam Ahmad Mir from Dooru seat in AnantnagPDP's Iltija Mufti, daughter of party chief Mehbooba Mufti, contested from family bastion Srigufwara-Bijbehara seat. Waheed-Ur-Rehman Para of the PDP was the candidate from Pulwama assembly seat. Para lost Lok Sabha Elections 2024 from Srinagar parliamentary seat. The two more phases will be held on September 25 and October 1. The votes will be counted on October 8.Catch all LIVE UPDATES on Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Elections 2024 Phase 1 here
