Jammu, Oct 1
Jammu and Kashmir BJP President Ravinder Raina expressed confidence on Tuesday that a BJP government would be formed in the Union Territory, attributing his optimism to the high voter turnout in the first two phases of the J&K Assembly elections and the strong enthusiasm seen in the third phase.

"The tremendous voter turnout in the first two phases of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections is commendable. Voters have been standing in long queues to exercise their franchise in the third phase as well," Raina said.

He also extended his gratitude to the people of J&K, security forces, including the J&K Police, paramilitary forces, the Indian Army, SPOs, and VDGs, as well as the Election Commission for ensuring smooth voting procedures.

"The arrangements made for the voting process have been excellent, and I thank everyone for their cooperation during the elections," he said.

Reflecting on the voter turnout, Raina remarked, "Our festival of democracy has been successfully conducted, and it is a victory for our democratic values. The unexpected and large voter turnout shows that people have participated in significant numbers, and I believe they have overwhelmingly supported the BJP. The next government will be a BJP government."

By Tuesday morning, an overall voter turnout of 11.6 per cent had been recorded in the first two hours of polling in 40 constituencies across Jammu and Kashmir. The early participation indicated that the third phase of voting could see an even higher turnout than the previous phases.

In the first and second phases, voter turnouts of nearly 62 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively, were recorded. The third phase, where women voters also came out early, suggested a higher turnout, with voting continuing at 5,060 polling stations under clear skies.

Out of the polling stations, 1,842 were set up in the districts of Baramulla, Kupwara, and Bandipora in Kashmir, while 3,218 polling stations were organised in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, and Udhampur districts of the Jammu division.

A total of 39.18 lakh voters will decide the political fate of 415 candidates in the third and final phase, covering 40 Assembly constituencies. Jammu district has 11 seats, Samba 3, Kathua 6, and Udhampur 4, while Baramulla and Kupwara have 16 constituencies combined.

Special polling stations have been arranged for Kashmiri migrant voters, with 11 in Jammu, 4 in Delhi, and 1 in Udhampur district. Voting, which began at 7 a.m., will continue until 6 p.m., with the counting of votes scheduled for October 8.

Ravinder Raina hails electoral machinery, confident of BJP forming govt in J&K