Polling for the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections began at 7 AM today, with 40 constituencies set to go to the polls. Out of these, 24 are in the Jammu division, while the remaining 16 are in the Kashmir Valley.
According to the Election Commission of India, over 3.9 million voters across seven districts are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase. Voting will continue until 6 PM, with tight security arrangements in place to ensure a smooth and peaceful process.
A total of 415 candidates are contesting this phase, including prominent leaders such as former Deputy Chief Ministers Tara Chand of the Congress and Muzaffar Hussain Beig.
Notably, BJP candidate from the Bahu assembly constituency, Vikram Randhawa, offered prayers at the Bawe Wali Mata Mahakali Mandir ahead of the polls. Randhawa faces competition from Congress' Taranjit Singh Tony and People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Varinder Singh.
"I prayed for Mata Rani to strengthen nationalist forces. These elections will lead Jammu and Kashmir in a new direction. The people of J&K are making the best decision this time," Randhawa said.
The campaigning for this final phase concluded on Sunday evening after weeks of intense canvassing by the major political parties. This election is particularly significant as it is the first in Jammu and Kashmir since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the first assembly election in a decade.
The election is being held across three phases for the 90 assembly seats in the region. The National Conference (NC) and Congress have formed an alliance, while the BJP and PDP are among the other key contenders.
The first phase of voting took place on September 18, followed by the second phase on September 25, which saw voter turnouts of 61% and 57.31%, respectively.
The campaign was marked by heated debates on issues such as Article 370, Pakistan, terrorism, and reservation policies. High-profile leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti, were active on the ground.
The counting of votes is scheduled for October 8.
