The second phase of polling in the Jammu division concluded today across 11 Assembly constituencies in the districts of Rajouri, Poonch, and Reasi, with voter turnout ranging from 68 to 80 percent. Although the overall turnout was relatively high, it marked a decline in comparison to the 2014 Assembly elections.
The three districts, considered militancy-infested due to the presence of foreign terrorists, saw a peaceful polling process despite security concerns. Security forces, including the Army, paramilitary, and local police, made extensive arrangements to ensure a smooth voting day, with no reports of terror incidents disrupting the process.
79 Candidates’ Fate Sealed in EVMs
The fate of 79 candidates, including several political heavyweights, was locked in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) today. Notable candidates include BJP’s UT chief Ravinder Raina, former ministers Jugal Kishore Sharma, Aijaz Khan, Zulfkar Choudhary, Shabir Khan, and Syed Mushtaq Bukhari, among others. Their future will be decided when the EVMs are opened on October 8, the scheduled counting date for all 90 seats in the Union Territory.
In total, 34 candidates are contesting in the five constituencies of Rajouri district, 25 in three segments in Poonch, and 20 in the three seats of Reasi district.
Polling Numbers Show Significant Decline
Despite peaceful voting, the overall voter turnout dropped in comparison to the 2014 elections. The turnout across the three districts was as follows:
Reasi: 71.81%
Poonch: 71.59%
Rajouri: 71.31%
A notable drop was observed in several key constituencies. The Darhal constituency in Rajouri district, renamed Budhal, saw a sharp 12% decline, recording a 70.14% turnout compared to 82.45% in 2014.
Reasi District: The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat, a newly formed constituency, recorded a 79.95% turnout, slightly lower than the 80.32% recorded when the area was under the former Reasi seat. Meanwhile, the Reasi segment saw a turnout of 71%, a steep drop from the 82.68% registered in 2014 when it was known as Gool-Arnas. Similarly, Gulabgarh recorded 73.49%, down from 82.09% in the last elections.
Rajouri District: Nowshera, where BJP’s Ravinder Raina faces NC’s Surinder Choudhary, saw a drop from 79.68% to 72%. The Sunderbani-Kalakote segment also witnessed a decline, with turnout falling from 76.66% in 2014 to 68.71% today. In Rajouri, voter turnout fell from 76.09% to 70.64%, while the newly created Thannamandi constituency saw 69.66% voting.
Poonch District: The border district saw similar drops. Mendhar recorded a turnout of 71.08%, down from 80.09% in 2014. Surankote and Poonch-Haveli constituencies saw slightly lesser declines, recording 75.11% and 74.93% voter turnouts, compared to 76.49% and 76.25% in the previous election.
Voting Process Peaceful Amid Heavy Security Presence
Despite the tense environment, the elections were carried out without any major incidents. Only minor scuffles and heated exchanges between rival supporters were reported in the Nowshera, Poonch, and Reasi constituencies, all of which were resolved swiftly. Importantly, no polling station in the three districts required a re-poll.
Elaborate security measures were in place due to the history of militant activity in these regions. The Army conducted intensified anti-terror operations in the surrounding mountains, while paramilitary forces and police provided security at polling stations and other vulnerable areas. No terror incidents were reported during the voting period.
With polling now concluded in these key regions, all eyes will be on October 8, when the results will be declared for these constituencies and the rest of the Union Territory.
