Sopore (Jammu and Kashmir): As the arrival of autumn turns the chinar leaves from deep green to crimson, a similar political change is sweeping Jammu and Kashmir.
In Sopore, the hometown of veteran Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Geelani, who died at the age of 92 in September 2021, the boycott of ballot no longer excites people. Known for juicy and crunchy apple orchards, the north Kashmir constituency was more popular for being a stronghold of militancy and separatists. But this time, the shift is evident with a significant 45 per cent turnout in Legislative Assembly elections, surpassing the previous records of the last more than three decades.
The Sopore constituency voted alongside 40 seats in Jammu and Kashmir in the third phase of the elections on October 1. While an overall 65 per cent turnout was recorded in the last leg of the polls, the significant change in the behaviour of people in Sopore was seen as a departure from its past.
According to data, a mere 19 per cent of people drew the ballot in 2008 followed by only 30 per cent in the previous polls in 2014. Sopore is one the 90 Legislative Assembly constituencies for which elections were held after a decade following the abrogation of Article 370 and downgrading of the state into two union territories. It was followed by the delimitation exercise increasing the seat tally of Jammu from 37 to 43 and Kashmir just one seat from its existing 46.
While the delimitation included new areas, overall the entire constituency of Sopore in north Kashmir was brimming with excitement during the campaigning. Ranging from door-to-door meetings till midnight in a large network of villages, it saw a grand show with the arrival of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in Dangerpora village on September 25, who promised to export apples from Sopore to foreign countries if they form the government.
But what dominated many first time voters to return to ballot this time was 'unemployment', inflation besides restoration of statehood and disempowerment of people.
Abdul Rashid Dar, former legislator of Congress, who was among the 20 candidates in the fray and is locked in 'friendly' contest with National Conference (NC) candidate Irshad Kar sees the turnout as significant. It is one among the five seats where NC and Congress decided to have 'friendly contest' with each other after failing to reach consensus over the candidates.
In 2002, Dar won his first election on a Congress ticket by a mere margin of 540 votes bagging a total of 2,062 votes with above 90 per cent voters of the total (76,779 electorate) boycotting the polls.
"This is a different election right now," he said. "There was an influence of the Hizbul Mujahideen in our constituency, which is why the turnout was low. But this time, people came out to vote against the BJP. This is a vote against policies of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi which caused joblessness, inflation etc in Kashmir," he added.
Many attribute the increasing turnout to the participation of the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir in the elections. The proscribed outfit banned among several other separatist outfits since 2019 on charges of funding terrorism wields strong influence in the constituency. But this time it did not call for boycott of elections and instead fielded 10 proxy independent candidates including Manzoor Ahmad Kaloo from Sopore.
The urban pockets and villages, which would draw dismal turnout in the previous elections, saw queues of voters outside the polling stations. Dooru village, for instance, was one of the several villages which would religiously boycott the polls. But this time 697 voters inked their fingers with many blaming the neglect of their villages to election boycott.
"Now we want a change through our vote," says a woman voter in Sopore. "Our children should get equal opportunity in jobs, roads should be developed, schools should be improved. Why should we lag behind?," she added.
This change was evident elsewhere as well. In south Kashmir’s Kulgam, once the hotbed of militancy, people came out in large numbers to vote, ending the decades of boycott culture. The district saw the highest 61.57 per cent turnout without any incident of violence.
Interestingly, a newcomer Sayar Reshi supported by Jamaat-e-Islami is the key contender against communist leader and three time legislator MY Tarigami. Likewise, Pulwama saw increase in turnout by 12.97% compared to the corresponding elections. Zainapora AC in Shopian saw a 9.52% increase while Srinagar’s Eidgah registered a 9.16% increase, reflecting growing confidence in the electoral process.
For Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the increasing voter turnout is an indicator that people have realised the power of vote.
"Youth deserve all the credit as they voted in huge numbers,” he said. In the three phases, a large percentage of first time voters were seen outside polling booths exercising their franchise.
