NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold two election rallies on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir as part of the BJP’s campaign for the upcoming Assembly polls. According to party officials, Modi will kick off his visit in Srinagar, where he will address a large rally at Sher-e-Kashmir Park. The event is expected to draw around 30,000 BJP workers. Senior BJP leader Mohammad Anwar Khan has been appointed as the rally’s in-charge. After the Srinagar event, Modi will travel to Katra to participate in a public meeting aimed at rallying support for BJP candidates. The remaining phases of the Jammu and Kashmir elections are scheduled for September 25 and October 1, with the vote counting set to take place on October 8. These rallies are part of the BJP’s strategy to solidify its presence in the region and engage with voters ahead of the critical elections. Modi’s appearances are anticipated to energize the party’s base as they prepare for the upcoming electoral challenges. Voter turnout in the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Wednesday showed little change from 2014, marking the first elections since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The Election Commission reported a provisional turnout of just over 61 percent for the 24 assembly seats across seven districts by 11:30 PM, with the possibility of slight increases as some polling stations are situated in remote areas of the Pir Panjal Mountain range. In comparison, the voter turnout during the 2014 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly polls in these districts was 60.19 percent. Notably, the recent elections included two new seats in Doda and Kishtwar districts, added after the 2022 delimitation process. Interestingly, while the militancy-affected Shopian district saw a rise in voter participation, Pulwama experienced a decline of a few percentage points. The most significant drop occurred in the Shangus-Anantnag segment, where only 52.94 percent of voters cast their ballots, down from 68.78 percent a decade ago.
