Srinagar, 25 Sept (KNO): With nearly half of the day over in the second phase of ongoing polls in Jammu and Kashmir, voter turnout across 26 constituencies stood at 36.93 percent at 1 pm, with Srinagar witnessing relatively low participation at just 17.95 percent.
According to Election Commission of India's voter turnout report, Budgam is leading with a voter turnout of 39.43 percent, followed by Ganderbal at 39.29 percent.
Voter turnout in Srinagar, as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), remained notably lower at just 17.95 percent, a slight increase from what was recorded at 11: 00 am.
Reasi registered the highest voter turnout so far at 51.55 percent, followed by Poonch at 49.94 percent and Rajouri at 46.93 percent.
In Srinagar's eight constituencies, Eidgah has recorded the highest voter turnout at 23.00 percent, while Habbakadal recorded lowest at 11.14 percent.
Other constituencies in Srinagar including central Shaletang recorded 19.14 percent, Chanapora 18.21 percent, Hazratbal 18.70 percent, Khanyar 16.07 percent, Lal Chowk 19.11 percent, and Zadibal 19.25 percent.
Notably, 13 candidates are contesting from central Shaletang, including NC-Congress alliance candidate and JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra, former MLA Noor Mohammed Sheikh, and PDP's Abdul Qayoom Bhat, along with several independent candidates.
Voting began at 7:00 am, with a significant number of first-time voters casting their ballots at various polling booths across the constituency.
Several voters from central Shaletang, while speaking with KNO, expressed their desire to vote to keep the BJP at bay and to address unemployment issues.
Political experts monitoring Srinagar's low voter turnout told KNO that voter dynamics are expected to shift as the day progresses, with more people likely to participate. However, they anticipate the overall voter percentage in Srinagar will fall between 30-40 percent by the end of the day.
A total of 25,78,099 voters are eligible to participate in this phase, comprising 13,12,730 male voters, 12,65,316 female voters, and 53 third-gender voters. This phase will determine the fate of 239 candidates.
As per the officials, polling for the second phase is taking place at 3,502 polling stations across 26 constituencies across six districts - Ganderbal, Srinagar, and Budgam in Kashmir Division, and Reasi, Rajouri, and Poonch in Jammu Division—(KNO)