J&K Assembly election: Voting underway in 40 constituencies

In Jammu and Kashmir,Voting is underway for the third and final phase of assembly polls to pick representatives for 40 of its 90 constituencies. Of the 40 constituencies, 24 come under the Jammu division and the rest are in Kashmir.The final phase of polling, which began at 7 am in the Valley, will determine the future of 415 candidates.The Election Commission of India has set up 5,060 polling stations across Jammu and Kashmir, and security has been beefed up to maintain law and order during the voting period.While the National Conference and the Congress are fighting the elections in an alliance, the People's Democratic Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are the two other major players.

#WATCH | J&K: People queue up at a polling station in Udhampur to vote in the 3rd & final phase of the Assembly elections today.

Eligible voters in 40 constituencies across 7 districts of the UT are exercising their franchise today. pic.twitter.com/1mZ3Gt5k46

— ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged voters to come forward and cast their votes to "make the festival of democracy a success". "I am confident that apart from the young friends who are going to vote for the first time, women power will also participate in the voting in large numbers," he said in an online post.
The election, held after a decade, is the first in the Union Territory, where restoration of statehood has emerged as the biggest issue. In this phase, 39,18,220 voters are eligible to cast their ballots, comprising 20,09,033 male voters, 19,09,130 female voters and 57 third-gender voters.