The first round of the Jammu and Kashmir polls showed men outnumbering women in casting votes by over 4.79 percentage points, the Election Commission said on Friday while providing revised data with voter turnout jumping to 61.38 per cent from 61.11 per cent earlier.
On September 18, the first round of voting took place in 24 assembly constituencies located in the Chenab Valley region of Jammu, as well as in the south Kashmir regions of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam, and Shopian, and the districts of Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban.
Data from the Election Commission shows that while women voted in all six assembly divisions, men voted more frequently in 18 seats.
In the first round, 23,27,543 lakh persons were eligible to cast ballots. Out of them, 60 transgender people, 11,51,042 women, and 11,76,441 men used their right to vote.
Following the repeal of Article 370 and the division of the former state into Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, two Union Territories, assembly elections are being held in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since August 2019.
Voter turnout is at the polling places, and the total number of votes cast will be available after the postal ballots have been counted. Postal ballots are distributed to voters on election duty, absentee voters (85+, PwD, Essential Services, etc.), and service voters, according to the press release. All voting parties have safely returned, according to Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole of Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, candidates received copies of Form 17C, which deals with turnout, through their polling agents.
With the highest polling rate of 80.20 per cent, Kishtwar district was followed by Doda district (71.32%), Ramban (70.57%), Kulgam (63.14%), Anantnag (57.90%), Shopian (57.01%), and Pulwama district (46.49%).
Shopian had 58.51 per cent of the vote, followed by Shangus-Anantnag with 56.72 per cent, Zainapora with 55.62 per cent, Pulwama with 50.78 per cent, Anantnag West with 48.73 per cent, Rajpora with 48.44 per cent, Anantnag with 45.62 per cent, Pampore with 45.01 per cent, and Tral with 43.56 per cent.
Pahalgam, which accounted for 71.26 per cent of the votes cast in Kashmir, was the most popular district, followed by D H Pora (68.88 per cent), Kulgam (63.44 per cent), Kokernag (62.25 per cent), Dooru (61.62 per cent), Srigufwara-Bijbehara (60.43 per cent), and Devsar (57.76 per cent).