National desk
18 September
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
The first phase of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir saw a peaceful conclusion, with a voter turnout of 58.19 percent by 5 p.m., as stated by the Chief Electoral Officer, PK Pole, on Wednesday. In Kishtwar, the highest voter turnout was recorded at 77.23 percent, where people formed long queues from early morning to cast their votes.
Officials had predicted a close to 60 percent voter turnout, and by 1 p.m., 41.17 percent of voters had already cast their ballots. In the Kashmir Valley, the Pahalgam constituency saw the highest participation with 47.68 percent, while Tral had the lowest at 26.75 percent. In the Jammu region, Inderwal recorded the highest turnout with 60.01 percent by early afternoon.
The polling process remained largely peaceful across the Union Territory, with only minor disturbances at a few places. Authorities confirmed that no major incidents were reported during the voting process.