Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to think about the decade “lost in betrayal” and remember how the state was downgraded to UT.
The voting for the second phase began at 7 am, with enthusiastic voters lined up early in the morning to cast their votes across 26 constituencies.
Asserting that J&K is on the verge of change, he urged people to use the power of democracy to ensure positive, viable change for their safe future.
Over 2.5 million voters are eligible to vote, deciding the fate of 239 contestants along with prominent faces like Omar Abdullah, Tariq Hamid Karra, Ali Mohammad Sagar, and Ravinder Raina whose fate will be sealed in the ballot boxes today.
In a post on X, Kharge said, “Today, as the second phase of voting gets underway for 26 seats, I exhort the people of Jammu and Kashmir to come out in large numbers to exercise their democratic rights.”
“When you press the voting button on the EVM, do think about how your decade was lost in betrayal. A state was downgraded to a Union Territory for the first time in history. There is widespread unemployment and rampant corruption, with land rights and social justice issues becoming prevalent,” the Congress chief said.
Your vote for positive change will secure people’s futures and guarantee prosperity. “One single vote will secure your constitutional rights. I warmly welcome the first-time voters, who look forward to a better future,” he added.
“These elections happening after a long pause will be a turning point for Jammu and Kashmir, and let's make this change for good,” he said.
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra advised the people of Jammu and Kashmir that the right to vote is their most important right.
She said in a post on X “For the last 10 years, this right has been taken away from you. Restrictions were imposed on raising your voice on issues like electricity, water, roads, employment, income, business, land, and forest. Your right to choose your representative was taken away from you.”
“Show the power of your vote in the second phase of elections today. Vote to choose a government for your better future, livelihood, employment, land, business, and for your issues,” she said.
The voting is underway on 26 assembly constituencies across six districts of Jammu and Kashmir, the results of this phase will be announced on October 8 alongside Phase I and the upcoming Phase III on October 1.
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