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As the second phase of polling commenced in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, people in several parts of the territory were seen in long queues, waiting for their turn to cast their votes.
With elections being conducted in Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of 10 years, people across the region be it Jammu, Srinagar or Ganderbal, were seen enthusiastically arriving at polling stations to exercise their franchise. Long queues were seen at the Government Middle School in Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Assembly constituency of Katra. One voter in Jammu, said, "I appeal to the voters to come and cast their vote...Kashmiri Pandits connect with Kashmir. Jammu is our home but the inner connection is with Kashmir...All the registered voters should come and cast their vote." A Kashmiri Pandit voter from Jammu, Rajaji Chaudhary said, "Voting should be held it is a democratic right to every citizen. Everybody should cast their vote...We have to choose a candidate that we know will do developmental work...We will go back to our roots. We have been labelled as migrants. A person who has spent his childhood in Kashmir is emotionally linked to his roots..." Meanwhile, in a unique gesture, the first three voters at a polling station in Bagoo Rampora of Ganderbal constituency, planted saplings after casting their vote. National Conference has fielded its vice-president Omar Abdullah from Ganderbal seat while PDP has fielded Bashir Ahmad Mir from this seat. Pink polling stations were set up in Jammu and Kashmir''s Poonch, Reasi and Naushera districts of Jammu-Kashmir. These unique polling stations, entirely managed by women, aims to create a welcoming environment and encourage greater female participation in the electoral process. Local officials have highlighted the significance of this women-centric approach, which is designed to attract and empower women voters in the region. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to BJP President and Union Minister JP Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, several prominent leaders have appealed to voters to cast their votes in large numbers and exercise their democratic rights. Voting for the second phase of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir began at 7 am on Wednesday. Over 25 lakh eligible voters will seal the fate of 239 candidates across 26 constituencies in six districts of the Union Territory. From early morning, long queues of voters were seen waiting for their turn to vote. In this phase, 25,78,099 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballot, comprising 13,12,730 lakh male voters, 12,65,316 lakh female voters and 53 third-gender voters. The respective district administrations have made elaborative arrangements at all the polling stations for free, fair and transparent elections. The third and final phase of polls will be held on October 1 with counting of votes will be held on October 8. (ANI)
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