Srinagar: Union Minister JP Nadda on Friday rebutted National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah's statement, which attributed the 'lower voter turnout' in the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections to the central government's actions. Nadda dismissed Abdullah's claims, stating, "He is bad in mathematics."

During a press conference, JP Nadda emphasized the improvement in voter turnout, saying, "If one wants to see the poll percentage, it used to be 6 to 8 percent, but today it is 58 to 60 percent. If he was bad in mathematics, what could I do? There was 60 percent voting in the first phase and 58 percent in the second phase."

On Thursday, Omar Abdullah expressed disappointment over the turnout, stating that the central government is "partially responsible" for the 'lower voter turnout.' He noted, "I was hoping for a little more turnout because there was no call for the boycott. There were no attacks. There was no attempt to suppress and threaten the voters. But I think the central government is also partially responsible for this situation. They have tried to present high turnout as a sign of normalcy at different places."

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the second phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls recorded a turnout of 57.31 percent. The commission reported varying turnout rates across different districts, with Budgam recording 62.98 percent, Ganderbal at 62.51 percent, Poonch at 73.80 percent, Rajouri at 70.95 percent, Reasi at 74.70 percent, and Srinagar at 29.81 percent.

Polling took place across six districts, including Budgam, Ganderbal, Poonch, and the Jammu regions of Rajouri, Reasi, and Srinagar. A total of 25.78 lakh electors were eligible to vote to decide the fate of 239 candidates in this second phase, following the first phase held on September 18.

The third and final phase of voting is scheduled for October 1, with vote counting set to occur on October 8. These assembly elections are being held in the Union Territory nearly a decade after the last polls and are the first since the abrogation of Article 370.

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