Jammu and Kashmir enters the third and final phase of voting today (Oct 1) to elect its 90-member Assembly. More than 3.9 million voters across 40 Assembly constituencies in seven districts will choose among over 400 candidates.
This marks the first Assembly elections in the Union Territory in a decade and the first since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. The results for all three phases will be declared on October 8.
However, Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid – Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) President claimed that the voice of the people have been suppressed since PDP took over in 2014.
Speaking to ANI, Rashid said, “The voting percentage has increased because people have been victims of state repression…the voice of the people has been suppressed since the PDP came to power in 2014. People want to express their feelings and they want change because they have understood that they can achieve something only through democratic means. Violence has no place in society…the people of Kashmir have always believed in democracy. They also wanted a democratic solution to the Kashmir issue. I hope an era of reconciliation will begin after the voting.”
#WATCH | Kupwara, J&K: Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) President Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid says, “The voting percentage has increased because people have been victims of state repression…the voice of the people has been suppressed since the PDP came to power in 2014.… pic.twitter.com/0jyP0ma92h
— ANI (@ANI) October 1, 2024
