New Delhi, Oct 2: The Election Commission of India today said a 63.88% turnout has been recorded in the J&K Assembly Elections, as against 58.58% in the last Lok Sabha polls.
Election Commission of India said voter turnout of 69.69% has been recorded at polling stations in phase-3 for 40 ACs in the J&K Assembly Elections 2024, with the rate of female turnout surpassing male turnout.
Voting turnout trends at the polling stations on the poll day were facilitated by the Commission through its Voter Turnout App, every two hours starting 9:30 am onwards. CEO J&K has confirmed that all polling parties have returned safely and scrutiny has been completed in the presence of the candidates/their authorized agents.
“The voter turnout and final votes polled will be available post-counting with counting of postal ballots. Postal Ballots include Postal Ballots given to service voters, absentee voters (85+, PwD, Essential Services, etc.), and Voters on Election Duty,” the ECI said.
A daily account of such postal ballots received, as per established guidelines, is given to all candidates.
The assembly polls concluded on October 1 with the third phase, while votes will be counted on October 8,
ECI’s theme, ‘No Voter to be Left Behind’ and slogans like ‘Your Vote Your Right’ became the talked topics about election mantra and resonated on different information dissemination platforms. Apart from their initiatives, the Icons regularly appeared on radio shows and public events to garner support for the SVEEP campaign.
In Jammu and Kashmir, around 62 icons at the district level and 18 at the UT level had been designated for mass awareness of the general public. The icons had been designated for all categories like General Icon, Icons for Women, Icons for PwD, and Transgender. The icons played a great role in voter education and increasing voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir by promoting their audio/video messages on social media.
Some of the famous icons were Subedar Chain Singh, gold medalist in the 7th Asian Air Gun Championship Kuwait and 2016 South Asian Games, Sherlin Seth, Miss India 2017, Sadia Tariq, 3rd Open India Taekwondo champion, Javed Ahmad Tak, Padmashree awardee, social activist, Parveez Rasool, and Umran Malik, International Cricketer, Faisal Ali Dar, an Indian martial arts coach, Chandeep Sudan, Indian Athlete, 2nd Time’s World Para Taekwondo champion, Kabul Bukhari, renowned singer and musician, Ankush Sabharwal, Tech Entrepreneur and AI (Artificial Intelligence ) expert.
The introduction of icons in SVEEP campaigns had a significant impact on voters in various ways. The use of popular public figures like actors, sportspersons, or social activists as icons resonated with the local people. When voters see someone they admire or identify with urging them to vote, it inspires them to participate in elections. Social Icons, being from the local region, make the message more relatable and culturally relevant to the voters, helping bridge the gap between the Election Commission’s outreach and the local population.
