The second phase of voting for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections began on September 25 and will conclude at 6pm.
Security has been tightened in key constituencies such as Rajouri, which has seen a rise in terror attacks in recent years. More than 2.5 million voters will decide the fate of 239 candidates, including National Congress’ Omar Abdullah and BJP’s Ravinder Raina, during this phase.
The first phase of voting, held on September 18 across 24 constituencies, recorded a voter turnout of 61.13 per cent. This is the first assembly election in the state in 10 years, after the abrogation of Article 370.
In the first phase of elections, the Congress and National Conference formed an alliance, while the BJP and PDP are also in the race for seats.
The third and final phase of voting will take place on October 1, followed by counting of votes on October 8. The election commission has set up special polling stations, including ‘pink polling stations’ headed by women, to ensure a smooth and fair voting process.
During a rally in Srinagar, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi claimed that Prime Minister Modi had lost his confidence, which was dismissed by the BJP as “utterly baseless” and “laughable”.
This second phase of elections is crucial in deciding the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir for the next term.
