Aerial view of dispatch of polling officials after collecting polling material in Jammu and Kashmir
The voter turnout in the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections failed to match the voter turnout in the 2014 election when it was still a state and not a Union Territory.
The first assembly election held after a gap of 10 years was expected to break previous voting records. Instead, the voting percentage has come down at many assembly constituencies compared to the turnout in 2014.
Improved security situation, no election boycott call by separatist groups and also participation by Jamaat-e-Islami were seen as factors that may boost poll participation.
According to the Election Commission, 61 per cent voter turnout was recorded for 24 seats in the first phase.
In the 2014 assembly election, 66 per cent polling was recorded despite boycott calls and dismal participation in some urban seats.
Even as the polling pattern has largely remained the same in eight seats of Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar, the poll percentage has come down in eight out 16 seats in South Kashmir.
In Pampore assembly seat, a 47 per cent voter turnout was recorded in 2014. In this election it was 42 per cent. In Rajpora seat in Pulwama, against 47 per cent in 2014, it was 45 per cent in this election.
The DH Pora seat had recorded 77 per cent turnout in 2014. It was 65 per cent this time. It was 63 per cent in the Dooru seat in 2014, while it was 57 per cent this time.
Shangus, Anantnag seat had recorded 67 per cent voting in the last assembly elections, while this time it fell to 52 per cent.
The recent parliament election had broken all records of voting in the last 35 years in Jammu and Kashmir. The participation in parliament elections had raised hopes that voting in the assembly polls will also rise substantially. But the first phase turnout indicated something else.
While political parties carried out effective campaigns, they did not translate into votes in several areas. The second phase of polling is on September 25. The final and third phase will be on October 1. Votes will be counted on October 8.