Impressive turnout in J&K 1st phase polling
Jammu & Kashmir saw a historic voter turnout of 60.65% in its first assembly elections in a decade, reflecting improved conditions and increased civic engagement.
Jammu & Kashmir’s voters turned up in unprecedented numbers to exercise their franchise on Wednesday as 24 of the UT’s 90 constituencies went to vote in its first assembly elections in a decade, marking a historic turnout in a region otherwise marred by terrorism and violent poll boycotts.
The Election Commission announced that the seats in Phase 1 — 16 in Kashmir and eight in Jammu— recorded an overall turnout of 60.65% by 11.15pm. This number will likely be revised upwards.
“An improvement in the ground situation and no security concerns among the voters are the reasons for an increase in turnout. People have understood that for peace and development, ballot is the solution,” J&K chief electoral officer Pandurang K Pole said.
The turnout carried forward the momentum recorded during this summer’s Lok Sabha polls, when a turnout of 58.46% was recorded, the highest in 35 years. To be sure, a seat-by-seat comparison is not possible with previous assembly or Lok Sabha polls as the boundaries of the constituencies were changed in a delimitation exercise in 2022.
These are the first assembly polls in the restive region since its special status and statehood were scrapped five years ago, and are likely to be the last step before the Union territory’s statehood is restored.
“I used to boycott the elections but now I have decided to vote as it is the need of the hour. We need honest people to represent us, who not only work on the development front but also put forth our point of view in the assembly and across the country,” Mansoor Ahmad, a government employee, said after voting in Kulgam
Read more: Jammu & Kashmir sees 61% voter turnout in Phase 1 of polls; highest in Kishtwar
The highest turnout was recorded from Padder Nagseni in Kishtwar, which reported 80.67 polling percentage. The lowest was recorded from Tral in Pulwama with 43.21% turnout till 11.15pm.
J&K recorded its highest overall turnout of 75% in 1987.
“As the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections begins, I urge all those in constituencies going to the polls today to vote in large numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy. I particularly call upon young and first-time voters to exercise their franchise,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X in the morning, shortly after voting began.
A total of 219 candidates, including 90 independents, are in the fray for the first leg of the three-phase poll contest, a contest between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Congress-National Conference combine, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A last-minute alliance between Engineer Rashid’s Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) and politico-religious outfit Jamaat-e-Islami — their candidates will contest as Independents—and a host of local parties such as the People’s Conference, the Apni Party, and the Democratic Progressive Azad Party are likely to make inroads and skew the electoral arithmetic.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti, Congress general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir, and senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami are among the key candidates in the first phase.
“Many of the people here are unemployed. It is always better that their faith in democracy is revived. I am happy that many women are also coming out to vote. Old women and young college-going women, they are all participating, and it gives me immense joy,” Iltija said after voting from Bijbehara in Anantnag district. Her mother and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also voted on Wednesday.
Traigami said the UT’s people were struggling due to an “electoral vacuum” and hoped that the elections will help pave the way to meet their demands.
“In the absence of polls, people’s troubles were increasing. Now, we are hoping for a change and looking forward to better days,” he said.
Issues of statehood, the impact of Article 370’s abrogation, a spike in terror strikes, and development worries are among the rallying points in the high-stakes polls.
“The more we talk about the importance of these polls, the less it is. They are happening after 10 years, and a lot has changed in that time…We have not forgotten what happened with Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, so it is a very important election in all respects,” NC vice president Omar Abdullah, who is contesting from Budgam and Ganderbal seats, said.
The other two phases of voting will be on September 25 and October 1, with the verdict scheduled for October 8.
The elections are taking place against the backdrop of a string of terror attacks in Jammu, prompting authorities to step up deployment. This year, 14 security personnel and 11 civilians have died in separate attacks in Jammu. Security forces have gunned down 10 terrorists in the region. In Kashmir, five personnel and seven civilians have died in terror strikes, with forces killing 27 terrorists in the same period.
“I migrated with my family to Jammu during the Kashmiri Pandit exodus of the 1990s. I’ve voted today with the hope that the new government will resolve the longpending issues of the Pandit community help return our property, orchards, and land back to us,” said PL Tickoo, 83, originally a resident of Batmaloo in Shopian district, after voting at CRPF Group Centre in Ban Talab area of Jammu .
These are also the first assembly polls in J&K since a controversial delimitation exercise earmarked 47 assembly seats for Kashmir and 43 for Jammu in its final order. The delimitation panel gave Jammu six additional seats and Kashmir one, sparking allegations from the Opposition that the balance was tilting in favour of Hindu-majority Jammu. It also reserved nine seats for Scheduled Tribes, renamed some assembly constituencies, and redrew some others.
In 2014, the Peoples Democratic Party emerged as the single-largest party with 28 seats and formed an alliance of ideological extremes with the BJP, which had 25 seats. But the coalition collapsed early in 2018 after the BJP withdrew support and Governor’s Rule was imposed in June that year under controversial circumstances. On August 5, 2019, the Union government revoked Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the erstwhile state .