In the fourth phase of lok sabha elections, Jammu and Kahmir experienced its highest voter turnout in thirty years. Previously, the voting rate in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency usually fluctuated between 11% and 30%, dropping to a low of 14.4% in 2019. However, this year’s turnout surged to 36%, a level unprecedented in three decades.
Amit Shah on Valley’s highest voter turnout
Home Minister Amit Shah, speaking exclusively to ANI, proudly highlighted the BJP’s contributions to the region, including reopening theaters after 33 years, attracting over 2 crore tourists, maintaining peace for two years without any incidents of stone pelting, and investing heavily in developmental projects worth 1000 Crore, with an additional 58,000 Crore guaranteed. He emphasized the BJP’s firm stance against separatist elements, such as cancelling government jobs for stone pelters. Shah commended the Kashmiri Pandits for their increased participation in this election, noting that their voting percentage surpassed 35% as overall voting reached 40%. Addressing concerns that these initiatives were politically motivated, Shah asserted that the people of Jammu and Kashmir should have the freedom to choose their representatives. He expressed confidence that the BJP would eventually bring peace to the region.
Peacefull polling at the valley
Unlike in the past, security personnel breathed easy as no untoward incident was recorded from any of 2,135 polling stations spread across five districts.
In another departure from past trends, Political parties especially the Peoples Democratic Party, the National Conference and the Apni Party also ran a high-decibel 24×7 campaign.
Voters sealed the fate of 23 candidates vying for the seat, where the main contest is between PDP’s Waheed Para, NC’s Ruhullah Mehdi and the Apni Party’s Ashraf Mir.
At a polling booth in Islamia high School in the Mirwaiz’s bastion of Gojwara polling station, 119 people had voted out of 1,127 in six hours.
