People wait in queues to cast their votes during the third and final phase of Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections (PTI)
JAMMU: Voting commenced on Tuesday for the third and final phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, covering 40 seats across seven districts, including the winter capital Jammu.
More than 39.18 lakh eligible voters are set to decide the electoral fate of 415 candidates, including two former deputy chief ministers Tara Chand and Muzaffar Baig.
The election will witness West Pakistani refugees, the Valmiki Samaj, and the Gorkha community exercise their franchise, having gained voting rights for the first assembly polls following the 2019 abrogation of Article 370.
They previously participated in the Block Development Council and the District Development Council polls of 2019 and 2020, respectively.
Polling began at 7 am in 16 assembly segments in three border districts of north Kashmir amid tight security.
The assembly segments in the region going to the polls are Baramulla, Uri, Rafiabad, Pattan, Gulmarg, Sopore, and Wagoora-Kreeri (Baramulla district), Kupwara, Karnah, Trehgam, Handwara, Lolab, and Langate (Kupwara district), and Bandipora, Sonawari, and Gurez (Bandipora district).
A total of 202 candidates are in the fray in these 16 segments.
More than 400 companies of security forces, including paramilitary and armed police personnel, have been deployed to ensure a safe voting environment.
Voting also began in 24 assembly constituencies in the Jammu region, including in Udhampur, Samba, and Kathua districts.
The earlier phases of the election saw robust turnout, with 61.38 per cent participation in the first phase on September 18 and 57.31 per cent in the second phase on September 25.
The results are scheduled to be announced on October 8.
Among the prominent candidates in the fray in this phase are Raman Bhalla (R S Pura), Usman Majid (Bandipora), Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurez), Taj Mohiuddin (Uri), Basharat Bukhari (Wagoora-Kreeri), Imran Ansari (Pattan), Ghulam Hassan Mir (Gulmarg), Choudhary Lal Singh (Basohli), Rajiv Jasrotia (Jasrota), Manohar Lal Sharma (Billawar), Sham Lal Sharma, and Ajay Kumar Sadhotra (Jammu North).
To facilitate voter participation, the Election Commission has set up 5,060 polling stations and ensured 100 per cent webcasting across all constituencies. Of the total, 974 are urban polling stations and 4,086 are rural.
Special initiatives to enhance participation include 240 'special' polling stations, 50 'pink' polling stations managed by women, and 43 polling stations manned by persons with disabilities.
Additionally, there are 45 'green' polling stations promoting environmental awareness, 29 polling stations located near the Line of Control and the International Border for border residents, and 33 'unique' polling stations.
For migrant voters of the Kashmir division, 24 'special' polling stations — 19 in Jammu, four in Delhi, and one in Udhampur district — have been established.
Officials said a comprehensive security strategy had been implemented at each polling station to ensure peaceful voting.
Polling is scheduled to conclude at 6 pm.