Jammu and Kashmir recorded a voter turnout of 65. 58 per cent in the final phase of polling on Tuesday.
A total of 40 Assembly constituencies spanning across seven districts--Jammu, Udhampur, Samba and Kathua in the Jammu region and Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara in north Kashmir —of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed polling. The polling began at 7 am and concluded at 6 pm.
According to official data Udhampur district witnessed the highest voter turnout at 72.91 per cent, while Bramulla recorded the lowest at 55.73 per cent. A total of 415 candidates were in the fray from all the 40 seats.
Faith in govt restored
As polling began on Tuesday morning, voters in Sopore Assembly constituency streamed into polling stations to cast their ballots.
By 7 pm, the constituency recorded a voter turnout of 41.44 per cent.
Located some 45 km north of Srinagar, the Sopore Assembly constituency, which was the home town of hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has traditionally been known for boycotting the polls.
In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it recorded a voter turnout of mere 4 per cent.
“It all changed in the last Lok Sabha elections when this constituency saw a poll percentage of around 45 per cent,” said a voter. He said that the importance of representative government became clear to the people after experiencing an extended period of bureaucratic rule.
Apart from the absence of boycott calls and improved security situation, the participation of Jamaat-e-Islami backed independent candidates in the electoral process drove voters to the polling booths.
Unusual participation
The last phase of elections witnessed some unusual candidates from the Valley.
Aijaz Ahmad Guru, the brother of Parliament attack convict who was sent to gallows in 2013, is contesting as an independent candidate from the Sopore Assembly constituency.
After casting his ballot, Guru said that he was contesting to address the issues confronting the people in his constituency .
“Self rule and autonomy are concerns for bigger leaders. I want to focus on local issues, said Guru.
In nearby Bandipora constituency, Mohammad Sikandar Malik, an independent candidate backed by Jamaat-e-Islamia showed up at a polling station with a Global Positioning System( GPS) device installed on his leg to cast his vote.
“It is good to see the restoration of democracy after a decade,” said Sikandar after casting his ballot.
Sikander, who faced charges under UAPA, was released in April 2024 with police strapping a GPS device with his leg to monitor his movement.
First-time voters
In Jammu, the West Pakistan Refugees (WPR) and members from Valmiki community cast their votes for the first time.
“Finally we shed the label of refugees by casting our votes,” said 80-year-old Sant Ram, who cast his vote at a primary school in Jammu’s Bhor Pind area.
The WPRs refugees, who migrated from Pakistan in 1947, primarily Hindus and Sikhs from subaltern class were deprived of voting rights in Assembly elections due to the special constitutional provisions of Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A enabled them to cast their ballots in these elections.
Similarly, the Valmikis, who were brought from Punjab in 1957 for sanitation work were also ineligible for voting in Assembly elections.
“It is for the first time since our arrival that we are casting our votes,” said a community member, beaming with joy.