Historic Voter Turnout in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat: Highest in last 35 years

After record voter turnouts in Srinagar and Baramulla in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha segment, too, has shattered voter turnout records, with 51.35 % recorded in the districts of Anantnag, Poonch, Kulgam and districts of Rajouri and Shopian partially, the highest since 1989 i.e; in 35 years, reports ETV Bharat's Muhammad Zulqarnain Zulfi.

Srinagar:In the sixth phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency recorded a historic voter turnout of around 53 per cent on Saturday marking its second-highest turnout since the 1984 parliamentary elections. Out of over 18.36 lakh eligible voters, approximately 9.73 Lakh cast their votes for the 20 candidates, who are in the fray.

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar soon after the polls, Chief Electoral Officer (J&K) Pandurang K Pole stated, "This was the highest voter turnout in the last 35 years. The previous highest was 50.2 per cent in 1996. Overall, voter turnout across all five parliamentary seats in Jammu and Kashmir was 58 per cent, surpassing the 49.58 per cent recorded in 2014 and the 47.99 per cent in 1996. The credit goes to the voters for making new records."

Anantnag-Rajouri's 53 per cent turnout marks a significant increase from the dismal 9.7 per cent in 2019. Surankote reported the highest turnout at 68.56 per cent, while Kulgam and Anantnag saw lower participation with 32 per cent and 33 per cent, respectively. Migrant polling booths also recorded over 50 per cent turnout, with 9,000 postal ballots cast.

Voting commenced at 7 am on Saturday in the newly delimited Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat, amid stringent security measures across the entire area. The Election Commission had implemented robust arrangements, including satellite phones and special equipment at polling stations with poor mobile signals, to counter threats and contingencies, particularly from potential cross-border shelling in border regions.

This election, the last of five in Jammu and Kashmir, presented significant security challenges. The region has recently experienced four terrorist incidents in the Rajouri-Poonch area.

Election officials assured that comprehensive measures were taken to ensure free, fair and peaceful voting. The constituency spanned 18 assembly segments, with the Election Commission establishing 2,338 polling stations to accommodate over 18.36 lakh voters.

Out of 542 polling stations in the Rajouri district, 278 were categorised as sensitive. Additionally, 45 polling stations were within the direct firing range from across the Line of Control (LoC). In the Poonch district, 55 out of 171 polling stations are located along the LoC.

To safeguard voters in critical areas, the district administration had devised contingency plans. The Rajouri DC confirmed that five villages lie between the LoC and the fencing.

The Anantnag-Rajouri constituency witnessed varying voter turnouts across its different segments in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Anantnag recorded a turnout of 31.21 per cent while Anantnag West saw a slightly higher participation rate of 34.65 per cent.

Budhal (ST) experienced a significant turnout at 64.91 per cent. DH Pora and Devsar also showed notable engagement, with turnouts of 55.00 per cent and 41.50 per cent, respectively, followed by Dooru closely with a turnout of 45.21 per cent.

Kokernag (ST) recorded a turnout of 50.00 per cent and Kulgam saw 31.99 per cent voter participation. Mendhar had a high turnout of 64.69 per cent, while Nowshera led with 65.47 per cent.

Pahalgam witnessed a turnout of 55.63 per cent and Poonch Haveli recorded 64.19 per cent. Rajouri (ST) achieved the highest turnout at 67.09 per cent. Shangus-Anantnag East saw 41.94 per cent voter participation.

Srigufwara-Bijbehara reported a turnout of 42.40 per cent and Surankote (ST) had a notable 68.56 per cent. Thanna Mandi (ST) recorded a turnout of 66.20 per cent. Finally, Zainapora saw 39.40 per cent voter participation.

The record voter turnout in Anantnag-Rajouri seat follows a similar trend in Srinagar and Baramulla Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir, which went to the polls in the 4th and 5th phases. Voting for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat was held on May 13 with a turnout of around 40 per cent, which is the 2nd highest since 1989. The highest voter turnout was reported in 1996 at 40.94 per cent after 1989. Out of over 17.47 lakh eligible voters, around 6.73 lakh voters cast their votes.

The Baramulla seat, which went to the polls on May 20, recorded a turnout of around 60 per cent, the highest since 1967. Out of over 17.38 lakh eligible voters, approximately 10.27 lakh exercised their franchise. In 1967, Baramulla recorded a voter turnout of 51.35 per cent.

Although Poonch and Rajouri were not part of the Anantnag constituency during the ninth Lok Sabha elections, the highest voter turnout of 70.1% was recorded in 1984. Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency was formed in 1967. However, the Delimitation Commission reconstituted it as the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency in 2022, incorporating most parts of Rajouri and Poonch districts while excluding parts of Pulwama and Shopian.

Over time, the voter turnout in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency has fluctuated, indicating varying degrees of civic involvement and changing political circumstances. In 1971, there was a substantial turnout of 67.3 per cent, which declined slightly, but remained significant at 55.8 per cent in 1977 and 60.1 per cent in 1980.

The peak turnout of 70.1 per cent was observed in 1984, demonstrating strong civic participation. However, it sharply dropped to 5.1 per cent in 1989, likely due to prevailing political conditions. Subsequently, turnout fluctuated, with notable percentages of 50.2 per cent in 1996 and 28.2 per cent in 1998.

In subsequent elections, turnout decreased further, reaching 14.3 per cent in 1999 and 14.7 per cent in 2004. There was a slight improvement in 2009, with a turnout of 27.1 per cent, and in 2014, a modest increase to 28.8 per cent was observed. However, the most recent elections in 2019 saw a significant decline, with a turnout of 9.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief and candidate from Anantnag-Rajouri, alleged that her party workers and polling agents were being unlawfully detained at police stations. She claimed, "PDP workers are being locked up in police stations without any reason. DG, LG and all officials from top to bottom are involved in this. They have locked up PDP polling agents in police stations."

Reacting to Mufti's allegations, the District Police Anantnag wrote in a post on X, "Claims were made by a political party that their workers have been detained. Firstly, detentions are very few and restricted only to those who have a tainted past and based on credible inputs of potential threats to law and order and security on polling day. Mostly they are OGWs and are taken into preventive custody for ensuring a safe and peaceful election."

Six people, including four women, sustained minor injuries during a clash between supporters of two candidates outside a polling station in Mendhar sub-division of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials reported.

Despite the altercation, voting at the polling station in the Shahpur sector continued uninterrupted as police quickly intervened to separate the groups, the officials added.

An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway, they said. "A minor scuffle occurred outside the polling station, resulting in very minor injuries to a few individuals. The incident was swiftly resolved, an FIR has been registered, and the polling process remained smooth and uninterrupted," stated the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, on X.

The election, initially scheduled for May 7, was postponed to May 25 due to adverse weather conditions, following requests from several political parties.

The Anantnag-Rajouri constituency encompasses five districts: Kulgam, Anantnag, Shopian, Poonch, and Rajouri, as reported by the Chief Electoral Officer's office. The 1,836,576 registered voters include 9,33,674 men and 9,02,902 women.

To ensure a transparent and peaceful election, stringent security measures, including drones, CCTV and advanced technology, are in place. Additional security forces are deployed at sensitive locations, with security personnel stationed inside and outside polling booths under CCTV surveillance.

Voting for the constituency was preceded by a couple of militant attacks. Militants targeted Kunda Top in Rajouri's Shahdara area on April 22, killing government employee Mohd Razaq. On May 4, they ambushed an IAF convoy en route to Sanai Top in Poonch's Surankote area, resulting in one soldier's death and injuries to four others.

Rajouri and Poonch, the border districts, have experienced several major terrorist attacks in the past two years, claiming the lives of both security personnel and civilians. These incidents mark a resurgence of militancy in the region, which had remained peaceful from 2003 to 2021.

Last Saturday night (May 18), militants carried out two more attacks. They shot and killed Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh, a former BJP sarpanch, in Shopian and injured a tourist couple from Jaipur in Anantnag's Pahalgam area.

The perpetrators of these four attacks remain at large, with officials asserting ongoing efforts to apprehend them.

Prominent candidates in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat include former Chief Minister and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference's Mian Altaf, Apni Party's Zafar Iqbal Khan Manhas, and 10 independent candidates, including DPAP's Mohammad Saleem Paray. The BJP is supporting the Apni Party's Zafar Iqbal Manhas instead of fielding its own candidate.

Since its creation in 1967, the Anantnag seat has been represented by nine different individuals in Parliament. The Indian National Congress has won the seat four times, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference six times, the Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party twice, and the Janata Dal once.

From 1967 to 1977, Mohammad Shafi Qureshi of the Indian National Congress held the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, winning three consecutive terms. In 1980, Ghulam Rasool Kochak of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference succeeded him, starting the party's influence in the region.

In 1984, Begum Akbar Jahan Abdullah, also from the National Conference, took office, and the party maintained its dominance through 1989 with Piyare Lal Handoo representing the seat.

The political landscape changed in 1996 when Mohammad Maqbool Dar of the Janata Dal was elected. However, this change was short-lived as Mufti Mohammad Sayeed from the Indian National Congress won the seat in 1998. The following year, Ali Muhammad Naik returned the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference to power.

In 2004, Mehbooba Mufti of the Jammu & Kashmir People's Democratic Party was elected, marking her party's rise. The seat changed hands again in 2009 when Mirza Mehboob Beg of the National Conference took office. Mehbooba Mufti regained the seat in 2014, reflecting her party's continued influence.

Most recently, in 2019, Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference was elected, indicating the party's resilience and sustained presence in the region's political landscape.