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Women voters step out in droves across Beerwah
In Beerwah constituency, women voters surpassed men with 62.5% turnout. Sugra Barkati's campaign for her jailed father gained significant support.
Women voters outnumbered their male counterparts at many polling stations in the Beerwah assembly constituency, which went to polls on Wednesday. At the end of the day, 62.5% of voters had registered their choice.
The constituency in Budgam district was represented by former chief minister (CM) Omar Abdullah, however, but he has since shifted base to the neighbouring Budgam and Ganderbal.
Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) candidate Nazir Ahmad Khan who is also district development council chairperson, NC’s Dr Shafi and the Peoples Democratic Party candidate Ghulam Ahmad Khan are among the 12 candidates in fray.
However, polling day saw supporters of Khan and the NC pick acknowledge the growing traction for jailed separatist leader, Sarjan Barkati, whose daughter Sugra Barkati ran a very impressive campaign in the constituency and sought votes from people to get her parents released from jail.
“I don’t know whether Barkati will win or lose but she will get a lot of emotional votes. Many youngsters and women are voting for Barkati,” said Mushtaq Ahmad Khan of Gindipora, which is part of the constituency.
“Nazir Ahmad Khan is our neighbour and also the DDC chairperson. Many people vote for him but many are also voting for Barkati due to the strong campaign of her daughter,” he said, before drawing comparisons to Engineer Rashid’s Lok Sabha win from Baramulla. He, however, was quick to note that Nazir Ahmad Khan had lost the last elections by less than 2,000 votes.
At another polling station at Beerwah, which was the home turf of PDP candidate Ghulam Ahmad Khan, the voters said the native candidate is their first choice but conceded that there was also support for Barkati. “We cannot say who wins, but Sugra’s emotional pleas have many takers in Beerwah,” a voter said.
Barkati was arrested on October 1, 2016, under the Public Safety Act after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. He had led protests against the killing and was jailed for illegal fund-raising to allegedly propagate radicalism. His wife was also put behind bars in connection with the case. He was released in October 2020 and was again arrested in August 2023 by the state investigation agency.
Sugra and her brother have restricted their campaign to central Kashmir’s Beerwah seat and did not travel to Ganderbal. The teenager has been able to draw crowds, including youngsters and women who shower her with candies, flower petals and garlands which had left her rivals rattled.
“I saw many women voting for Barkati because of her daughter. If Barkati wins it’s going to be a big upset,” Shabir Ahmad Khan, a local at Beerwah, said.
