New Delhi

The third and final phase of polling held in the seven districts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir concluded peacefully on Tuesday with a record voter turnout of 65.58 percent till 7 pm, according to the  Election Commission of India.

With this, the polling has come to an end in the Union Territory with results scheduled on October 8.

As per the data shared by the ECI, Udhampur saw the highest poll percentage of 72.91, followed by Samba 72.41 percent, Kathua 70.53 percent, Jammu 66.79 percent,  Bandipora 64.85 percent, Kupwara 62. 76 percent and Baramulla 55.73 percent.

The ECI said in a press release that the polling for the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections concluded today in a peaceful and celebratory atmosphere.

An elderly Kashmiri woman shows her ink mark in Kupwara

"The elections were a resounding statement in favour of democracy in line with the CEC Rajiv Kumar's vote of confidence given during the announcement of the general elections in J&K on August 16," the release said.

He had then expressed that "in Jammu-Kashmir, the world will witness the defeat of nefarious and inimical interests and the triumph of democracy."

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said that "J&K Assembly elections have marked a significant deepening of democracy, which will echo in the pages of history and continue to inspire a democratic spirit of the region for years to come. He dedicated these elections to the people of J&K, acknowledging their determination and belief in the democratic process. The peaceful and participative elections are historic, wherein democracy is taking root more profoundly than ever before, driven by the will of the people of J&K."

"These elections have witnessed a significant increase in voter turnout in areas which have been infamous for militancy and boycotting democratic processes. Polling percentage has increased by 12.97 percent in Pulwama AC in the Legislative Assembly Elections 2024 compared to the corresponding elections held in 2014. Zainapora AC in Shopian saw a 9.52 percent increase while Eidgah AC in Srinagar registered a 9.16 percent increase, reflecting growing confidence in the electoral process," the release stated.

A senior citizen in Sabma flaunts his finger mark after casting his vote

Kashmiri Migrant voters were also empowered to exercise their franchise through 24 special polling stations setup in Jammu (19), Udhampur (1) and Delhi (4).

In phase-3, 40 Assembly constituencies spread across 7 districts saw polling across 5060 polling stations set up for voters in this phase. 415 Candidates were in the fray, including 387 men and 28 women candidates in this phase of the elections. The seven districts that went to polls in phase 3 are: Bandipora, Baramulla, Jammu, Kathua, Kupwara, Samba and Udhampur.

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Phase-1 and Phase-2 saw a polling percentages of 61.38 percent and 57.31 percent respectively. The counting of votes is scheduled on October 8