Around 40% of displaced Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu turned out to vote during the second phase of the Jammu Kashmir Assembly elections on Wednesday, according to official reports.
Voting took place across 24 stations set up in Jammu, Delhi, and Udhampur.
Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner Arvind Karwani confirmed,
“Around 40% polling was recorded at 19 polling stations in Jammu, with Udhampur registering 37% and Delhi seeing 43% turnout in the second phase.”
Out of 15,500 eligible voters, 6,250 people cast their ballots, including 3,514 men and 2,736 women. The highest participation came from Habakadal, a former stronghold of Kashmiri Pandits, with 2,796 votes cast, followed by 909 in Lal Chowk and 417 in Zadibal.
In the first phase, 27% of migrant Kashmiri Pandits voted at 19 polling stations in Jammu, with Udhampur reporting a 31.39% turnout. For the first phase, 9,218 Kashmiri Pandits out of 34,000 voters participated in the election for South Kashmir seats.
Polling, which began at 7 am, took place across 26 assembly constituencies, with 93 candidates contesting in Srinagar, 46 in Budgam, 34 in Rajouri, 25 in Poonch, 21 in Ganderbal, and 20 in Reasi. The second phase covered six districts—three in the Valley and three in the Jammu division.
Among the prominent figures in the fray are former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, J&K Congress President Tariq Hamid Karra, BJP J&K Chief Ravinder Raina, and Apni Party leader Syed Altaf Bukhari. Four Kashmiri Pandit candidates are also contesting this phase.
Approximately 25.69 lakh voters are set to decide the fate of 239 candidates across the region.