Srinagar/Ranchi: Counting of votes for the five-phased assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand will take place on Tuesday amidst high security.
In Jammu and Kashmir, a total of 821 candidates, including 276 independents, contested the elections to the 87-member House. The voter turnout in the state in 2014 was 65 per cent which was 4 per cent more than the last Assembly elections held in 2008-development which has generated hope as well as anxiety among all major political parties.
While the ruling National Conference is claiming that higher voter turnout will benefit it at the hustings, PDP and BJP are maintaining that it is a reflection of the people's desire for a change.
An estimated 65 per cent of voters exercised their franchise over one-month long election process for the 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. The militancy-hit state was marred by terror strikes resulting in the death of several people including many security personnel.
The ruling National Conference is facing a stiff challenge particularly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), BJP) and Congress with some regional political entities and a few independents also having their spheres of influence. The National Conference and Congress had formed a coalition government after the 2008 elections after winning 28 and 17 seats respectively but the two parted ways a few weeks a before Assembly elections making it a four cornered race in the state.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Opposition PDP's chief ministerial candidate Mufti Muhammad Sayeed are among the 821 candidates, who are seeking election from the 87 constituencies.
Counting centres have been set-up at all district headquarters in Jammu and Kashmir and the process will begin at 8 AM. As many as 5000 officials, besides concerned Assistant Returning Officers (ARO), would conduct the counting of votes and the entire process would be video-graphed and the trends would be shared every hour.
The first phase of elections for 15 Assembly seats held on November 25 saw 72 per cent electorate exercising their franchise, while the second phase of polling for 18 seats also recorded same turnout figures. The turnout fell to 58 per cent in the third phase of polling for 16 seats and was recorded at 49 per cent in the fourth phase of polls for 18 seats. The fifth phase of elections for 20 seats, all in Jammu region, also saw over 76 per cent voter turnout.
In Jharkhand, the 66.47 per cent voter turnout in the 2014 polls was a record for both Lok Sabha and assembly elections held in the state since it was carved out of Bihar on November 15, 2000. This election will give the state, which has been dogged by political uncertainty since its birth its tenth government in 14 years.
The key candidates are Chief Minister and JMM head Hemant Soren, former chief ministers Arjun Munda, Madhu Koda and Babulal Marandi. Other prominent candidates in the fray are Speaker Shashank Sekhar Bhokta, former Speaker CP Singh, AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahato, state BJP chief Raghuvar Das and all the ministers in the Hemant Soren cabinet, besides several sitting MLAs and former ministers.
The BJP, which contested in 72 seats, has a pre-poll alliance with the AJSU party which was in the fray in eight seats and Lok Janshakti Party in one seat. The ruling JMM contested in 79 seats while Congress contested in 62 seats in partnership with RJD (22) and the JDU (11).
The state has so far been ruled by five chief ministers - Babulal Marandi, Arjun Munda (thrice), Shibu Soren (thrice), Madhu Koda (once) and Hemant Soren (incumbent). All of them have been from the tribal community which constitutes almost 26 per cent of the state's population.
The fate of a total of 1,136 candidates, including 111 women, will be decided in the counting for the 81-member Jharkhand assembly on Tuesday.
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