J&K polls: 20 of 26 assembly segments register lower voter turnout than in 2014 elections

SRINAGAR: As many as 20 of the 26 assembly segments that went to polls on Wednesday in the second phase of voting in Jammu and Kashmir have registered lower voter turnout than that in the 2014 assembly elections.

According to the data of the Election Commission of India, the overall voting percentage in the 2014 polls was above 60 per cent for the assembly segments in the six districts that went to polls on Wednesday.

J&K Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole, while giving the data for Wednesday’s polling, said an estimated 56.05 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the six districts.

Pole said the data was tentative and can go up slightly as polling was going on at some polling stations even at 6.45 pm.

There were 25 assembly segments in Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam, Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch districts in the 2014 polls. However, the number increased by one seat to 26 in these six districts following the delimitation exercise undertaken in 2022.

While five assembly segments in Srinagar district recorded a higher turnout than the 2014 polls, all other assembly segments in the five remaining districts recorded a lower voter turnout.

Budgam (66.32 pc in 2014) and Chrar-e-Sharief (82.44 pc in 2014) assembly segments in central Kashmir witnessed the biggest drop of 15 per cent voter turnout followed by Budhal (82.50 pc in 2014) assembly segment which saw a dip of 14 per cent.

While Shri Mata Vaishno Devi segment in Reasi district recorded the highest turnout of 79.95 per cent this year, it is still less than 82.68 per cent recorded in 2014 when the constituency was known as Gool Arnas.

Habbakadal assembly segment, which has a large migrant voter population, recorded the lowest turnout of 18.39 per cent compared to 21.31 per cent that was registered 10 years ago.

The voter turnout in none of the assembly segments, which registered an increase over the 2014 figures, however, crossed the 38 per cent mark while all the constituencies which saw a dip in the turnout still crossed 50 per cent.

According to Pole, the segment-wise turnout in Jammu division seats was Gulabgarh (73.49), Surankote (75.11), Reasi (71.00), Nowshera (72.00), Kalakote-Sunderbani (68.71), Poonch-Haveli (74.92), Rajouri (70.64), Budhal (68.58), Thannamandi (69.66) and Mendhar (71.08).

In the Kashmir valley seats, the turnout was Khansahib (71.66), Kangan (71.89), Chrar-e-Sharief (67.44), Chadoora (55.25), Ganderbal (56.97), Beerwah (63.31), Budgam (51.13), Hazratbal (30.69), Khanyar (26.07), Habbakadal (18.39), Lal Chowk (32.11), Channapora (29.35), Zadibal (30.73), Central Shalteng (31.07) and Eidgah (36.93). (PTI)