Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Kavinder Gupta, said that the people in the region had shown their gratitude as well as their faith in democracy during the third phase of voting in the J&K assembly polls.
Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Gupta said that there was a lot of enthusiasm among the people of the region as elections had been conducted here after 10 years.
He also acknowledged the increase in voter turnout in the region during the previous phases and said that earlier candidates used to become MPs and MLAs with only 4 per cent to 5 per cent of the vote share.
“Elections are taking place in Jammu and Kashmir after 10 years and there is enthusiasm among the people of Jammu and Kashmir. During this time, a lot of things have changed. In the previous phases, there was an increase in voter turnout; earlier candidates used to become MPs or MLAs with only 4 per cent, 5 per cent of the vote share. Today, people have shown their gratitude towards democracy and have expressed their faith in it, so I am sure that the government that will be formed will be in favour of democracy and in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party,” he said.
The third phase of voting in Jammu and Kashmir saw a cumulative voter turnout of 11.60 per cent as of 9 am on Tuesday, as per the Election Commission of India.
According to the latest data issued by ECI, Udhampur district recorded the highest voter turnout of 14.23 per cent as of 9 am, followed by Samba at 13.31 per cent of voter turnout.
The polling for the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections began on Tuesday at 7 am, with people seen queueing up at a polling station across 40 constituencies in seven districts of the Union Territory.
The polls will conclude at 6 pm. Voting has been going on in 24 constituencies in the Jammu division and 16 constituencies in Kashmir amid strong security to ensure smooth and peaceful polls.
At least 415 candidates are contesting in the third phase. The three-phase election involves a multi-party contest for the 90 seats across the former state.
The National Conference (NC) and the Congress have formed an alliance for these elections, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are among the other major contenders. The counting of the votes will be done on October 8. (ANI)
