Srinagar/Jammu, Sep 18 (UNI) Polling began on a brisk note on Wednesday morning in the 24 Assembly Constituencies across seven districts of Jammu & Kashmir, officials said.
This is the first major democratic exercise in a decade in Jammu and Kashmir and the first assembly election since the revocation of Article 370 and converting the State into a Union Territory in August 2019. The last Assembly election in the erstwhile J&K state was held in 2014.
Officials said the polling began with long queues of enthusiastic voters waiting for their turn to exercise their right to franchise.
The polling began at 7 am at all 3276 polling stations across J&K. The administration has made elaborative arrangements at all polling stations for smooth polling.
The voting is underway in constituencies of Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, DH Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, Pahalgam, Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhaderwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban and Banihal.
A total of 23.27 lakh voters are eligible to vote to decide the electoral fate of 219 candidates in this phase of the elections.
Prominent candidates in the first phase include senior Congress working committee member Ghulam Ahmed Mir, PDP’s Iltija Mufti (daughter of party chief Mehbooba Mufti), CPIM leader Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, PDP youth leader Waheed Para, former MP and National Conference leader Hasnain Masoodi, senior NC leader Sakeena Itoo, BJP leader Sofi Youusf, former Jamaat-e-Islami member Talat Majeed, independent candidate G M Saroori, BJP’s Sushri Parihar, NC’s Sajad Kichloo among others.
