Jammu & Kashmir Assembly Polls: 40 seats, 415 candidates and 3.9 million voters – all set for final phase battle today

As many as 415 candidates are in fray from 40 seats that are going to polls in the third and final phase of Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections today, October 1.

Around 3.9 million voters are eligible to cast their franchise at 5,060 polling stations across seven districts in the third phase of polling that began at 7 am and continues till 6 pm, Election Commission of India said.

Of the 40 seats going to polls today, 16 are in the Kashmir region while 24 fall in the Jammu region of the erstwhile state.

Jammu and Kashmiris holding its first assembly elections in a decade to elect a government after over six years of Central rule. This is also the first assembly election being held after abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile state in August 2019.

The first phase of elections held on September 18 saw 61 per cent voter turnout. The approximate voter turnout for all 26 seats spread across 6 districts was 57.3 per cent according to Election Commission of India data.

Key Constituencies

The 16 assembly seats of Kashmir division voting today include Karnah, Trehgam, Kupwara, Lolab, Handwara, Langate, Sopore, Rafiabad, Uri, Baramulla, Gulmarg, Wagoora-Kreeri, Pattan, Sonawari, Bandipora and Gurez (ST).

The 24 constituencies voting in Jammu division include Udhampur West, Udhampur East, Chenani, Ramnagar (SC), Bani, Billawar, Basohli, Jasrota, Kathua (SC), Hiranagar, Ramgarh (SC), Samba, and Vijaypur, Bishnah (SC), Suchetgarh (SC), RS Pura, Jammu South, Bahu, Jammu East, Nagrota, Jammu West, Jammu North, Marh (SC), Akhnoor (SC) and Chhamb seat.

Over 20,000 polling staff have been mobilised for today's voting that will decide the electoral fate of big names including former deputy chief ministers Tara Chand and Muzaffar Baig and former ministers Taj Mohiuddin, Raman Bhalla, Basharat Bukhari and Sajad Lone.

Sajad Lone, Afzal Guru's brother in fray

People's Conference president, Sajad Lone is contesting against five-time legislator and minister Choudhary Ramzan in Handwara seat. Lone is also contesting from Kupwara seat today. 

Langate will be another key constituency in focus in the final phase. Here Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid's brother Sheikh Khursheed is a candidate.

The 2011 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru’s elder brother Aijaz Ahmad Guru is also contesting as an independent from the Sopore assembly segment today.

Devender Singh Rana, brother of the Union minister Dr Jitendra Singh Rana, of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also in the fray from Nagrota assembly constituency in Jammu.

(With PTI inputs)