In a significant display of electoral participation, women voters surpassed men in more than half of the constituencies during the third phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. According to data released by the Election Commission of India, 23 of the 40 constituencies that went to the polls in the third and final phase on October 1 witnessed a higher turnout of female voters. Overall, female voter turnout was recorded at 70.02%, slightly ahead of the male turnout, which stood at 69.37%.
Of the 23 constituencies with higher female voter participation, five were from the Kashmir region, including Karnah, Lolab, Handwara, Uri, and Gurez. The remaining 18 were located in the Jammu division. This marked a notable increase in female voter turnout from the Kashmir region, which had only seen one seat each with higher female participation in the first two phases of the elections.
The first phase, held on September 18, saw elections in 24 seats, where six constituencies—five from Jammu and one from Kashmir’s Kokernag—reported higher female turnout. In the second phase, conducted on September 25, 11 out of 26 constituencies saw more women voters than men, with just one seat in the Kashmir region recording higher female participation.
Overall, seven seats from the Kashmir region reported higher female voter turnout across the three phases, with the remaining 33 from the Jammu division. The 90-seat Jammu and Kashmir assembly held elections in three phases, beginning on September 18 and concluding on October 1.
Across all three phases, male voter turnout averaged 64.68%, while the women’s turnout averaged 63.04%. Despite the gender gap, the overall voter turnout in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections was 63.88%, a notable increase from the 58.58% turnout recorded in the April-June Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.
The data also highlighted that at least 11 constituencies saw women’s voter turnout reach or exceed 80%. Among these were Chhamb (83.53%), Inderwal (82.90%), Udhampur East (82.30%), Marh (81.08%), Chenani (80.99%), Akhnoor (80.89%), Padder-Nagseni (80.57%), Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (80.08%), Kishtwar (79.93%), Gurez (79.85%), and Billawar (79.77%).
In comparison, only four constituencies saw male voter turnout cross the 80% mark—Marh (81.83%), Inderwal (81.47%), Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (80.78%), and Padder-Nagseni (80.77%). The results underscore the increasing participation of women voters in the democratic process across the newly formed union territory.
