SRINAGAR: The first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir polls saw men outnumbering women in casting votes by over 4.79 percentage points, the Election Commission said on Friday while issuing revised figures with voter turnout rising to 61.38 per cent from 61.11 per cent earlier.
The first phase of polling was held in 24 assembly constituencies spread across Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian in south Kashmir and Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts in the Chenab valley area of the Jammu region on September 18.
According to Election Commission data, more male voters cast their votes in 18 seats while women voters outnumbered men in the rest of the six assembly segments.
A total of 23,27,543 lakh people were eligible to vote in the first phase. Of them, 11,76,441 men, 11,51,042 women and 60 transgenders exercised their franchise.
Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir are taking place for the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — in August 2019.
The second phase of polling covering 26 assembly seats will be held on September 25 followed by the third and final phase in the rest of the 40 seats on October 1. The election results will be declared on October 8.
The last assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir was held in 2014, leading to the formation of a PDP-BJP coalition government in January 2015. However, the government collapsed when the BJP pulled out of the alliance in June 2018.
A voter turnout of 61.38 per cent was recorded in the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, the election commissioner said in a press note, adding the male turnout was 63.75 per cent, female turnout was 58.96 per cent and third gender turnout stood at 40 per cent.
“The voter turnout is at the polling stations and final votes polled will be available post-counting with counting of postal ballots. The postal ballots include postal ballots given to service voters, absentee voters (85+, PwD, Essential Services etc.) and voters on election duty,” the release said.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole has confirmed that all polling parties have returned safely and a copy of Form 17C (related to turnout at the end of polling) was provided to the candidates through their polling agents.
Kishtwar district recorded the highest 80.20 per cent polling followed by Doda district (71.32 per cent), Ramban (70.57 per cent), Kulgam (63.14 per cent), Anantnag (57.90 per cent), Shopian (57.01 per cent) and Pulwama district (46.99 per cent).
In the 2014 assembly elections, the district-wise poll percentage was — Pulwama 44 per cent, Shopian 48 per cent, Kulgam 59 per cent, Anantnag 60 per cent, Ramban 70 per cent, Doda 73 per cent and Kishtwar 76 per cent.
The Inderwal assembly segment recorded the highest 82.16 per cent polling this time, followed by Padder-Nagseni (80.67 per cent), Kishtwar (78.24 per cent), Doda West (75.98 per cent), Doda (72.49 per cent), Bhaderwah (67.12 per cent), Banihal (71.28 per cent) and Ramban (69.67 per cent).
In Kashmir, Pahalgam topped the turnout chart with 71.26 per cent voting followed by D H Pora 68.88 per cent, Kulgam 63.44 per cent, Kokernag (62.25 per cent), Dooru (61.62 per cent), Srigufwara-Bijbehara (60.43 per cent) and Devsar 57.76 per cent.
Shopian recorded 58.51 per cent polling, Shangus-Anantnag 56.72 per cent, Zainapora 55.62 per cent, Pulwama 50.78 per cent, Anantnag West (48.73 per cent), Rajpora (48.44 per cent), Anantnag 45.62 per cent, Pampore 45.01 per cent and Tral 43.56 per cent.
Women voters edged past their male counterparts by thin margins in Inderwal, Kishtwar, Bhaderwah, Doda, Doda West and Kokernag (ST) segments, while the rest of the constituencies saw male voters in the lead.