Final phase turnout: J&K observes 76%, Jharkhand 66%

New Delhi, Dec 20: Jammu and Kashmir registered its highest turn-out in assembly elections in the last 25 years with an estimated 76 per cent of voters casting their votes in the fifth and final phase of polling which went peacefully on Saturday, December 20.

Jharkhand, which also went to the polls along with J and K, broke all previous polling records to witness over 66 per cent of turn-out in the five phases, bettering the previous mark of 54.2 percent in the 2004 assembly poll.

Terming the overall polling percentage in J and K as "historic and unprecedented", Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi said the fifth and final phase of polling in the assembly elections today saw 76 percent of polling.

Similarly, the last phase recorded over 71 percent of polling in Jharkhand, he said.

"It has been the highest turn-out in the last 25 years. This has been a historic turn-out in the current elections... unprecedented and totally peaceful," he said about J and K elections.

The previous assembly elections of 2008 and 2002 had witnessed 61.42 per cent and 43.09 per cent respectively in J and K. The militancy-hit state has seen a quadrangular fight with ruling National Conference, main opposition PDP, BJP and Congress locked in the battle.

Describing the year 2014 as an eventful year for EC, he said "never in the history of elections has a year recorded such a voter turn-out", referring to a string of state Assembly elections and Lok Sabha polls held this year.

Here are the Live Updates:

5.00 pm: Polling ends in Jharkhand, nearly 63.84% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm.

4.30 pm: Voter turnout by 2 pm. Constituency wise breakup:

Bani - 61.35 %
Basohli - 52.60 %
Kathua -55.83 %
Billawar - 58.54 %
Hiranagar(SC) - 55.56 %
Nagrota - 56.00 %
Gandinagar - 41.42 %
Jammu East - 46.00 %
Jammu West - 56.00 %
Bishnah - 54.00 %
R S Pura (SC) - 61.74 %
Suchetgarh - 57.00 %
Marh - 65.44 %
Raipur Domana(SC) - 59.20 %
Akhnoor - 62.00 %
Chhamb(SC) - 56.00 %
Nowshara - 55.09 %
Darhal - 60.84 %
Rajouri - 54.00 %
Kalakote - 50.52 %

4.15 pm: Over 55 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise till 2 om in Jammu and Kashmir.

4.00 pm: BJP's Lal Singh casts his vote in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir.

3.30 pm: MoS PMO Dr Jitendra Singh casts his vote in Jammu.

Jammu : MoS PMO Dr.Jitendra Singh casts his vote pic.twitter.com/JffJwPi8ka

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

3.00 pm: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren says, "This is my home, today its the voters who have to go out & vote, we have done our work in our tenure."

Hemant Soren : This is my home, today its the voters who have to go out & vote, we have done our work in our tenure pic.twitter.com/04YDydNJ7R

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

2.30 pm: Overall voting percentage in Jharkhand till 1am - 53.86%

2.00 pm: Overall voting percentage in J&K till noon - 29.8%

1:30 pm: Overall voting percentage in Jharkhand till 1pm - 53.86%; Overall voting percentage in J&K till noon - 29.8%

12:58 pm:

5th & final phase of Assembly polls underway in Kathua(J&K) pic.twitter.com/zpwhQZBkLt

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

5th phase of Assembly polls : BJP's Lal Singh casts his vote in Kathua(J&K) pic.twitter.com/NLWqCno9FA

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

12:22 pm: Fifth phase of Assembly elections record 12.09%
Voter turnout by 10 am. Constituency wise breakup:
Bani - 15.22 %
Basohli - 11.00 %
Kathua - 11.71 %
Billawar - 10.25 %
Hiranagar(SC) - 15.02 %
Nagrota - 17.00 %
Gandinagar - 10.00 %
Jammu East - 10.00 %
Jammu West - 9.00 %
Bishnah - 14.00 %
R. S. Pura (SC) - 19.00 %
Suchetgarh - 16.00 %
Marh - 12.00 %
Raipur Domana(SC) - 16.69 %
Akhnoor - 19.26 %
Chhamb(SC) - 16.00 %
Nowshara - 9.00 %
Darhal - 8.50 %
Rajouri - 4.61 %
Kalakote - 7.15 %

11:55 am: 12.09 % voting in Jammu till 10 am; Overall voting percentage in Jharkhand till 11am - 34.94%

10:08 am: Ajit Kr.Sahu,DC Jammu: Lot of excitement&enthusiasm amng ppl to vote,ppl coming out in large numbers despite the cold

9:45 am: Overall poll percentage in Jharkhand till 9am - 13.96%

Lot of enthusiasm among ppl to vote,no violence here,peaceful voting underway: Voter in Rajouri(J&K) pic.twitter.com/AX2NQ3SJqv

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

5th and final phase of Assembly polls underway in Rajouri(J&K) pic.twitter.com/x1uY3Yw5aa

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

Rajouri (J&K) : Voters queue up outside polling stations to cast their vote pic.twitter.com/OI8qEfGAhL

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

9:30 am: Lot of enthusiasm among voters in both the states.

9:20 am:

Nowshera(J&K) : BJP candidate Ravinder Raina attacked by PDP workers last night,admitted to district hospital pic.twitter.com/TgTssHdXCo

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

9:00 am: I am confident that NC will improve its tally in these polls : Devinder Singh Rana,NC

5th phase of Assembly polls : NC's Devinder Singh Rana casts his vote in Jammu pic.twitter.com/YhQplkJc4x

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

5th phase of Assembly polls : NC's Devinder Singh Rana casts his vote in Jammu

8:57 am:

Snow being cleared in Shimla(HP) as temperate dips in the state pic.twitter.com/R27WkwwISo

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

Polling begins in J-K at 8 am

8:34 am: Another murderous attack on Ravinder Raina by PDP

Jammu : People wait outside polling stations to cast their vote, 5th phase of Assembly polls underway pic.twitter.com/zoWUlfbdG5

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

8:00 am:

5th phase of Assembly polls : Voters queue up outside polling booths to cast their vote in Kathua(J&K) pic.twitter.com/L3TyMMxu2i

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

7:50 am:

Voting is our right,even though it is cold still there is enthusiasm among ppl to cast their vote:Voter in Jammu(J&K) pic.twitter.com/BgtxxWy0LC

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

7:30 am:

Security tightened in Kathua(J&K),last phase of Assembly polls to begin shortly pic.twitter.com/dWNIpzVwcC

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

[Read: Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2014 Special Coverage]

Security tightened in Dumka(Jharkhand) as the last phase of Assembly polls begin pic.twitter.com/xePLXv6Ud7

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

Dumka(Jharkhand): Voters queue up outside polling stations to cast their vote pic.twitter.com/TMf7yeEySq

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 20, 2014

7:00 am: Polling begins across 16 assembly seats in Jharkhand

[Read: Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections 2014 Special Coverage]

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