SRINAGAR: A voter turnout of 54 per cent was recorded till 5 pm in the second phase of Jammu and Kashmir polls on Wednesday, the Election Commission said.
The second phase of the assembly election will see over 2.5 million voters deciding the fate of 239 candidates in the fray for 26 seats, including that of former chief minister of the erstwhile state, Omar Abdullah.
Voting began at 7 am across the 26 assembly constituencies amidst tight security arrangements, the officials said.
They said these assembly constituencies are spread over six districts—three in the Valley and as many in the Jammu division.
The Gulabgarh (ST) seat in the Jammu region recorded the overall highest voting percentage at 65.57, followed closely by Poonch Haveli at 62.91.
The maximum voting percentage among the 15 assembly segments in the Kashmir Valley was recorded in Khansahib at 58.2 percent. It was followed by Kangan at 56.55 and Chrar-i-Sharief at 55.04 per cent.
The lowest 7.40 percent voting was recorded in the Habbakadal constituency here till 11 am, they said.
Voter turnout stood at 10.22 percent after the first two hours of polling.
The Election Commission of India has established 3,502 polling stations in these segments. There are 1,056 urban polling stations and 2,446 rural polling stations, the officials said.
Security personnel comprising police, armed police and central armed paramilitary forces have been deployed in strength around the polling stations.
A multi-tier security blanket has been thrown around each polling station to ensure the voting for the second phase is held in an atmosphere free of fear, they added.
For this phase, 157 special polling stations have been established: 26 'pink polling stations' managed by women, 26 polling stations manned by specially-abled persons, 26 polling stations manned by youths, 31 border polling stations, 26 green polling stations, and 22 unique polling stations, the officials said.
Voting will end at 6 pm.
During this phase, 93 candidates are in the fray in Srinagar district, followed by 46 in Budgam district, 34 in Rajouri district, 25 in Poonch district, 21 in Ganderbal district and 20 in Reasi district.
The constituencies in Srinagar district are Hazratbal, Khanyar, Habbakadal, Lal Chowk, Channapora, Zadibal, Central Shalteng and Eidgah.
The segments in Budgam district are Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahib, Chrar-I-Sharief and Chadoora, while there are two constituencies in Ganderbal district -- Kangan (ST) and Ganderbal.
The seats going to polls in Jammu division are Gulabgarh (ST), Reasi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (in Reasi district), Kalakote-Sunderbani, Nowshera, Rajouri (ST) (in Rajouri district), Budhal (ST), Thannamandi (ST), Surankote (ST), Poonch Haveli and Mendhar (ST) (Poonch district).
Key leaders whose fate will be determined in this phase include former chief minister Omar Abdullah, JKPCC president Tariq Hamid Karra and BJP J-K chief Ravinder Raina.
Abdullah is contesting from the Ganderbal and Budgam seats, while Karra is contesting from Central Shalteng.
Raina will be trying to retain his Nowshera seat in Rajouri district, which he won in the 2014 assembly polls.
Jailed religious cleric Sarjan Ahmad Wagay alias Barkati is hoping to repeat Engineer Rashid's Lok Sabha poll feat against the National Conference leader.
Barkati is contesting from the Beerwah and Ganderbal segments.
Popularly known as Rashid Engineer, Sheikh Abdul Rashid contested the parliamentary polls held earlier this year from Tihar jail and still managed to defeat Abdullah by a margin of more than two lakh votes from the Baramulla constituency.
Over 61 percent of the electorate cast their ballots in the first phase of polling on September 18.
The third phase will go to polls on October 1.
The votes will be counted on October 8.
History in making: CEC Rajiv Kumar
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar described the ongoing Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir as "history in the making", saying people are standing in long queues outside polling booths at places where calls were once given to boycott the democratic exercise.
Taking to reporters here as the second phase of polling was underway on 26 seats in the Union Territory, Kumar said 100 per cent CCTV coverage is available for this phase and one could see youngsters, women and senior citizens patiently standing in queues, awaiting their turn to exercise their franchise.
"It is a festival of democracy. Voting is taking place in areas where it did not take place earlier. There were calls for disruption and boycott in the past. It is a standing ovation for democracy," the CEC said in the presence of fellow election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.
Kumar said history is in the making in Jammu and Kashmir and its impact will be felt for a long time as he lauded the enthusiastic participation of the voters in the poll process.
