From Omar Abdullah and Ravinder Raina to Altaf Bukhari and Tariq Hamid Karra, here's a look at the key candidates in the second phase of the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.

Leading this effort are Tariq Hameed Karra, President of the J&K Congress Unit, who is running from the Shalteng assembly segment, and Altaf Bukhari, chief of the Apni Party, contesting from Chanpora.

Eight constituencies in the Jammu region and 16 from the Kashmir Valley voted on the first phase of assembly elections. Two more rounds of voting remain.

In the upcoming years, the tourism sector is going to further expand in the valley, which will create a ripple effect for the overall economy of the state, he said.

India’s troubled region of Jammu and Kashmir saw a brisk turnout amid tight security as voters cast their ballots on Wednesday in the first regional legislative elections in a decade. The region, which has seen years of separatist violence and is at the centre of a dispute between India and Pakistan,

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a record 59% voter turnout in the first phase of assembly elections, the highest in seven elections. Despite minor scuffles, the elections concluded peacefully. Factors contributing to the high turnout include improved security and active political campaigns.

As the first phase of voting in Jammu and Kashmir begins on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged voters to come out in huge numbers to strengthen the festival of democracy.

Jammu and Kashmir is set to vote in the second and third phases of their Assembly polls on September 25 and October 5 respectively. The results are to be declared on October 8. J&K recorded a 61 per cent voter turnout across 24 constituencies in seven districts in phase one of the assembly polls which concluded peacefully.