Voting begins for third phase of J-K Assembly elections amid tight security

Srinagar: The polling for the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections has begun on Tuesday, with people queueing up at a polling station across 40 constituencies in seven districts of the Union Territory.
The polls began at 7 am on Tuesday and will conclude at 6 pm. Voting will take place in 24 constituencies in the Jammu division and 16 constituencies in Kashmir amid strong security to ensure a smooth and peaceful polls.
Democratic Progressive Azad Party Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad was seen casting his vote at a polling station in Jammu. Earlier, he appealed to the people of the region to come out and cast their votes during the polls.
"I appeal to people to come out and vote. The political party that comes to power should resolve the issues. I will not speak against or in favour of any party. Voters will decide whether (majority) will be given to a single party or not," Nabi Azad said.
At least 415 candidates, including former deputy Chief Ministers Tara Chand of Congress and Muzaffar Hussain Beig, are contesting in the third phase. Mock polling also took place at various polling booths before the start of the polls.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Bahu assembly constituency, Vikram Randhawa, has offered prayers at the Bawe Wali Mata Mahakali Mandir ahead of the elections today. Congress' Taranjit Singh Tony and PDP's Varinder Singh are his main opponents.
The intensive campaign for the third and final phase of polling in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections concluded on Sunday evening.
This election is notable as the first in a decade and the first since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019.
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 first phase of voting took place on September 18, and the second phase concluded on September 25.
According to the Election Commission of India, the first and second phases of polling recorded voter turnouts of 61 per cent and 57.31 per cent, respectively.
The campaigning saw major political parties, especially the BJP, Congress, NC, and PDP, engaging in heated debates over key issues including Pakistan, Article 370, terrorism, and reservation.
High-profile leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah (BJP), Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and former J-K chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, and Mehbooba Mufti, were on the ground for weeks. The counting of the votes will be done on October 8.