Five seats of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) witnessed a record 58 per cent voter turn out, officials said on May 25, the day when the polling in the Union Territory ended with the commencement of voting in Anantnag-Rajouri seat.
Four other seats of J&K – Udhampur, Jammu, Srinagar and Baramulla – voted in earlier phases of Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
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Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), J&K, PK Pole said on Saturday that the 58 per cent. turnout of all Jammu and Kashmir seats is a record in the last 40 years.
“The previous high was 49 per cent recorded in 2014, while the turnout in 1996 was 47.99 per cent,” Pole said.
The Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency recorded about 53-per cent voter turnout on Saturday, as polling for the five Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir came to an end, officials said.
Also Read: Kashmir News: J-K assembly polls soon after Lok Sabha Election 2024? Here’s what CEC said after record Baramulla turnout
The five seats had about 87.26 lakh electorate, of which over 50 lakh exercised their franchise in the first major election held in the Union Territory after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre in August 2019.
All three seats of Kashmir Valley – Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri – witnessed record turnouts. While Anantnag-Rajouri registered about 53 per cent polling on May 25, Baramulla saw 59.1 per cent voter turnout on May 20 and Srinagar saw 38.49 per cent voter turnout during May 13 polling.
Also Read: Phase 4 voting today: In first Lok Sabha election post Article 370 scrapping, BJP not in the fray in 3 Kashmir seats
In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won two seats of Jammu and Udhampur while the National Conference won all three seats of Kashmir Valley – Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla. The BJP fielded candidates in Jammu seats but did not contest the elections for three Valley seats.
With the conclusion of phase 6, polling for 486 of 543 seats across 28 states and UTs is completed. The final phase is scheduled to be held on June 1 and the results of all 7 phases will be declared on June 4.
The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), seeking a record third term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has set a target of winning 400 seats this election. The ruling alliance is challenged by the opposition parties led by the Congress under the banner of the INDIA bloc.
(With PTI inputs)
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Published: 25 May 2024, 09:23 PM IST