Jammu and Kashmir registered a voter turnout of 36.93 percent by 1 pm on Wednesday during the second phase of assembly polls.
According to the Election Commission of India, Reasi recorded the highest voter turnout at 51.55 percent, followed by Poonch (49.94 percent), Rajouri (46.93 percent), Budgam (39.43 percent), and Ganderbal (39.29 percent). Srinagar recorded the lowest turnout at 17.95 percent.
Voting, which commenced at 7 am, will conclude at 6 pm. Over 25 lakh eligible voters will decide the fate of 239 candidates across 26 constituencies, spanning six districts of the Union Territory. The electorate includes 1,312,730 male voters, 1,265,316 female voters, and 53 third-gender voters.
The final phase of voting will take place on October 1, with the counting of votes scheduled for October 8.
Meanwhile, a high-level delegation of senior diplomats visited several polling stations on Wednesday.
The delegation, comprising diplomats from around 15 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Guyana, South Korea, Somalia, Panama, Singapore, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, Norway, Tanzania, Rwanda, Algeria and Philippines, was invited by the Ministry of External Affairs to observe the electoral process.
This election marks the first in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the reorganization of the state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — in 2019.
The region is witnessing a close contest, with several political parties and independents in the fray.
While the National Conference and the Congress party have formed an alliance, they are also competing against each other in some constituencies.
Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday urged voters in Jammu and Kashmir to turn out in large numbers, saying that each vote for the INDIA alliance led by Congress would bring the region closer to development.
In a pointed message to its alliance partner, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah urged Gandhi to shift his campaign focus from Kashmir to Jammu, where Congress holds a majority of seats.
(With ANI input)
