59 percent voter turnout in first phase in J-K, polling peaceful: CEO
Jammu, Sep 18: A voter turnout of about 59 percent -- "the highest in the past seven elections" -- was recorded in the first phase of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole said.
However, these are tentative figures and may rise after the final reports are received about postal ballots, and from remote pockets like Marwah, Wadwan, Dachhan and Machail in Kishtwar, the officer said.
Briefing mediapersons here after polling ended at 6 pm, Pole said the elections -- which covered 24 seats in seven districts -- ended peacefully without any untoward incident.
There are reports of some minor incidents of scuffle or argument from a few polling stations but "no serious incident" occurred that could have forced a repoll, he said.
Over 2.3 million voters were eligible to cast the ballot to determine the fate of 219 candidates, including 90 Independents.
"The polling percentage of 59 percent is highest in the past seven elections -- four Lok Sabha polls and three assembly elections," he said, attributing the increase in the voter turnout to various factors including improved security situation, active participation of political parties and candidates and a campaign by the department.
He said Kishtwar district recorded the highest 77 percent turnout, while Pulwama district witnessed the lowest 46 percent.
Doda district recorded a turnout of 69.33 percent, Ramban district 67.71 percent, Kulgam district 61.57 percent, Anantnag district 54.17 percent and Shopian district 53.64 percent.
In the 2014 assembly elections, the district wise poll percentage was: Pulwama 44 percent, Shopian 48 percent, Kulgam 59 percent, Anantnag 60 percent, Ramban 70 percent, Doda 73 percent and Kishtwar 76 percent.
In Kishtwar districts, he said, the Padder-Nagseni segment recorded the highest 80.67 percent voting followed by Inderwal (80.06 percent) and Kishtwar (78.11 percent).
In the nearby Doda district, Doda west segment recorded 75.98 percent, Doda (70.21 percent) and Bhaderwah (65.27 percent).
In Ramban district, Banihal segment recorded 71.28 percent and Ramban 67.34 percent, he said.
Among the seven constituencies of Anantnag district, Pahalgam recorded the highest voter turnout at 67.86 percent, followed by Kokernag (58 percent), Dooru (57.90 percent), Srigufwara-Bijbehara (56.02 percent), Shangus-Anantnag (52.94 percent), Anantnag West (45.93 percent) and Anantnag 41.58 percent, Pole said.
In Pulwama district, the CEO said, the Pulwama segment witnessed 50.42 percent polling, followed by Rajpora 48.07 percent, Pampore 44.74 percent and Tral 43.21 percent.
In Shopian district, the Shopian segment recorded a voter turnout of 54.72 percent and Zainapora 52.64 percent.
In Kulgam district, D H Pora recorded a turnout of 68 percent, Kulgam 62.70 percent and Devsar 57.33 percent, Pole said.
He said seven districts of south Kashmir had been traditionally low poll percentage constituencies and in some of the past elections, the percentage had not even crossed the single digit.
Asked about a social media video purportedly showing a policeman losing temper and aiming his gun before being overpowered by his colleagues outside a polling station in Kishtwar, he said the district election officer and the returning officer concerned have taken note and issue was resolved amicably.
PDP and BJP candidates were involved in an argument at the polling station.
Pole expressed hope that the remaining two phases on September 25 and October 1 will also see high polling percentage.
Meanwhile, the election commission expressed satisfaction over the long queues of voters at the polling stations showcasing the entire world, the deep trust and confidence of the people of J&K in the democratic exercise.
The polling was held across 3,276 Polling Stations in the seven districts and 24 special polling stations set up for migrant pandits in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi.
According to officials, 31.42 percent of the more than 35,000 eligible kashmiri migrant voters exercised their franchise. While 27 percent cast their votes at 19 polling stations in Jammu, 40 percent at four polling stations in Delhi and 30 percent at one polling station in Udhampur.
In each of the seven districts where voting was held in the first phase, the voter participation exceeded the participation during the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, the election commission said in a release.
The performance builds on the trend witnessed during the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir which saw a voter turnout of 58.58 percent at polling stations, highest in the last 35 years.
Voting began at 7 am and proceeded steadily through the day. Men and women, the young and old, some too frail to walk and others patiently waiting their turn, queued up outside polling booths across Kashmir Valley and Jammu.
Security forces fanned out to ensure that there was no trouble. The day was largely without incident except for reports of clashes between political workers in some areas of Bijbehara and D H Pora.
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India's coal mining methane emissions could more than double by 2029: Report
New Delhi (PTI): India's annual methane emissions from coal mining could more than double by 2029 compared to 2019 as the country seeks to increase coal production to meet its growing energy demand, according to a new report.
The report by global energy think tank Ember said that the total coal mine methane emissions of the fast-developing South Asian nation are set to increase by 106 percent since the last national estimate in 2019.
"To meet rising energy demand and reduce coal imports, India's Ministry of Coal is planning a significant expansion in domestic coal mining, alongside its considerable renewable energy expansion.
"The proposed increase in coal mining will lead to a substantial rise in coal mine methane emissions, as high-emitting underground mining is expected to triple by 2029, exceeding 100 million tonnes (Mt) per year," the report said.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with over 80 times the warming impact of CO2 over a 20-year period. It is responsible for nearly a third of the rise in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution.
India is already the world's second-largest coal producer and plans to double its production this decade, reaching an annual production rate of more than 1.5 billion tonnes.
Between 2010 and 2019, overall coal mining in India increased by 28 percent. Despite this rise in production, national estimates of coal mine methane rose by only four percent. This was due to a shift in the type of mining, with several older, gassier underground mines being retired and a substantial increase (38 percent) in shallower, surface coal mining.
India's energy demand is growing rapidly, with coal-based power generation projected to increase from 212 GW in 2023 to 260 GW by 2031, according to the latest National Energy Policy. In response, the Ministry of Coal has outlined plans to increase domestic coal production "to meet peak energy demand".
This was also reiterated by the International Energy Agency (IEA) earlier this year, noting that the growth in renewable energy has been "unable to keep pace with the growth in power demand" due to heatwaves and reduced hydropower output.
These plans suggest that total domestic coal production could surpass 1.5 billion tonnes by 2030.
Ember estimates that India could progressively mitigate up to 35 per cent of its coal mine methane by 2030.
Addressing India's coal mine methane emissions is a low-hanging opportunity to slow climate change, reduce surface ozone and complement India's efforts to reduce carbon dioxide. Policies to incentivise mitigation, capture and utilisation of coal mine methane are crucial and should be prioritised with urgency, said Rajasekhar Modadugu, Analyst Climate and Energy, India, Ember.
