Srinagar: In the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024, voter turnout in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, hovered around 40 per cent, despite the notable absence of a poll boycott call from separatist leaders or organisations. Out of over 17.47 lakh eligible voters, approximately 6.39 lakh voters cast their votes for the 24 contenders competing for a seat in Parliament.
These elections mark a significant milestone as they are the first general elections being held in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre, which stripped the region of its special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories--Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh--interestingly, no poll boycott call from any separatist leader or organisation added an intriguing dimension to this electoral cycle.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar soon after the polls concluded, Chief Electoral Officer (J&K) Pandurang K Pole said, "Overall, polling remained peaceful. No negative events were reported from anywhere today. The situation has improved over the last four years, resulting in a good turnout for this election. At 7 pm, Srinagar's voter turnout stood at 36.74 per cent, which is the second-highest since 1989. In 1996, there was a 40.94 percent voting rate; in 1998, 30.06 percent; in 1999, 11.93 percent; in 2004, 18.57 percent; in 2009, 25.55 percent; in 2014, 25.86 percent; and in 2019, 14.43 percent."
Citing the significant improvement in the voter turnout compared to the previous three decades, Pole estimated the overall polling percentage for the Srinagar seat this election to be approximately 40 per cent. In terms of youth involvement, Pole mentioned that there were two lakhs registered young voters and 26 special polling stations were established for Kashmiri migrants, with more than 6,000 migrant voters participating, contributing to a provisional voting rate of 36 per cent among migrant voters.
Pole also spoke about precautionary measures, emphasising the generally tranquil conduct of the elections. "Preventive actions were only taken when individuals had a criminal background, or a track record of anti-national activities, guaranteeing that polling stations stayed incident-free," he explained.
Pole also mentioned that Srinagar had the lowest rate of EVM replacement at 0.1 per cent whereas Jammu had the highest at three per cent. "A total of 234 complaints of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations have been received from March 16 until now. Based on those, 11 FIRs were registered, 80 notices were served, 29 inquiries were initiated and 38 banners/hoardings were removed. The highest number of violation complaints were received from Srinagar (46), followed by Jammu (34), while no complaints were received from Shopian," Pole revealed.
"We have also seized Rs 40 crore cash and drugs so far," he said while asserting that if there is any formal complaint about bribing voters or booth capturing "there will be a probe."
Traditionally a stronghold of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), the party has clinched victory in 10 out of 13 elections held for the seat thus far. Notable figures such as Dr Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah represented the constituency. However, the Congress party remains the sole national party to have secured a win here, achieved by Ghulam Mohammad Mir Magami in 1996. Recent years have seen a diversification of political representation with Tariq Hameed Karra of the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) winning in 2014.
Srinagar constituency, spanning five districts--Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama and Shopian--features prominent candidates from various parties, including Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of the JKNC, Waheed Ur Rehman Parra of the PDP, and Mohammad Ashraf Mir of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (AP). AP is contesting Parliament elections for the first time since its formation in 2020. Notably, the BJP has refrained from fielding candidates in three Kashmiri constituencies--Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag- Rajouri--for the first time in three decades.
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