The total number of electors in Jammu and Kashmir stands at 88.03 lakh after the special summary revision that has just been completed.

The electors include 44.89 lakh males, 43.13 lakh females and 168 third gender electors,” the Chief Electoral Officer said in a statement.

With the stage all set for the elections to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, the region has witnessed a significant increase of over 93,000 new voters.

This came to the fore as the special summary of photo electoral rolls with qualifying date 1 July 2024 was successfully completed in all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Electoral Officer, J&K UT said.

“With focus on ensuring accuracy, inclusivity, and purity of electoral rolls, the mammoth Special Summary Revision exercise has been completed successfully in Jammu and Kashmir. We have been able to include all the eligible citizens who have turned 18 or those who have registered for the first time, as well as to identify and remove ineligible voters, besides correcting errors and discrepancies, in order to improve the health and accuracy of electoral rolls,” the CEO said.

A total of 93,284 voters have been added in this Special Summary Revision across Jammu and Kashmir, while the elector population ratio has improved from 0.59 to 0.60.

Highlighting the notable achievements, the CEO said that the number of young voters in the 18 to 19 years age group has increased by 45,964, with 24,310 of them being women, even as the overall number of the women voters has also gone up by 51,142.

“This significant increase in the number of young electors in Jammu & Kashmir demonstrates the commitment of young electors towards the electoral process,” said the CEO, adding that the total number of young electors in Jammu and Kashmir in the 18-29 age group stands at 25.34 lakhs.

The comprehensive increase of first time young voters is attributed to the comprehensive SVEEP plan and its successful implementation by the respective District Election Officers, under the overall guidance of the Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu and Kashmir.

The CEO also noted the special efforts made during the special summary revision exercise which has resulted in the improvement in the gender ratio of the electors by 2 points — going up to 961 from 959, demonstrating significant progress in efforts towards intensification of electoral inclusion of women.

Along with the increase in numbers of electors, the number of polling stations across Jammu and Kashmir has also seen an uptick, this year.

“The number of polling stations (PSs) in Jammu and Kashmir for the upcoming Assembly elections has increased to 11,838 from 11,629 and polling station locations (PSLs) to 9,168 from 8,930. This increase of 209 polling stations and 238 polling station locations has come due to rationalisation of the polling stations and polling locations, while ensuring that there should be a distance of less than 2 kilometres to facilitate the voters,” the CEO informed.

The CEO informed that as on date, Jammu and Kashmir has 83,191 registered Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) voters, while the number of centenarian voters (of age over 100 years) stands at 2,428.

Voting will be held in three phases with the first round on September 18. The next two phases will be held on September 25 and October 1. The results will be announced on October 4