Enthusiastic voters swarmed astir polling booths since the greeting crossed 26 Assembly segments of Jammu & Kashmir connected Wednesday (September 25, 2024) and registered a elector turnout of much than 56% till 7 p.m., according to the Election Commission of India (EC).
“There has not been immoderate incidental that a repoll is required. There were 3,502 polling stations and nary polling booth had a voting percent successful azygous digits. In Srinagar, the polling percent exceeded the Lok Sabha figures by implicit 5%,” J&K Chief Electoral Officer P.K. Pole said.
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According to the EC’s information connected canvass turnout till 7 p.m., Reasi territory recorded the highest voting percent of 74.14% followed by Poonch (73.78%), Rajouri (69.85%), Budgam (61.31%), Ganderbal (62.63%) and Srinagar (29.24%). Srinagar has shown a marginal summation compared to the 2014 Assembly predetermination erstwhile it recorded astir 27% elector turnout.
“These elections are past successful the making, the echoes of which volition beryllium carried done posterity. The valleys and the mountains, which had erstwhile witnessed fearfulness and boycott, are present taking portion successful the antiauthoritarian festivities, oregon Jashn-e-Jamhuriyat,” Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said successful New Delhi.
The 3 districts of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi, person to the Line of Control (LoC) and a centre of militant attacks this year, saw agelong queues extracurricular polling stations. “I voted to safeguard my country’s interest,” Nitu Mia, a transgender elector from the Reasi conception said. Vaishali Sharma and Tavishi, first-time voters from Reasi, besides expressed happiness implicit attaining the property to enactment successful the elections.
In the Kashmir valley, determination were agelong queues extracurricular the polling booths successful Budgam and Ganderbal. However, voter response was subdued successful galore assembly segments successful Srinagar district. The 3 generations of the Abdullahs —National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah, his lad Omar Abdullah, and the grandsons — voted successful Srinagar. “We are hopeful that aft October 8, determination volition beryllium an NC-Congress confederation authorities successful J&K,” Mr. Omar said aft casting his vote.
NC Member of Parliament Syed Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, who voted successful Budgam, said, “Significance of voting has been good understood by the people. It is important voters marque the close decisions. Right now, unity serves arsenic our sole defense,” Mr. Mehdi said.
Tariq Hameed Karra, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president and campaigner from Central Shaltengh Tariq Hameed Karra, said, “Growing choler implicit the removal of Statehood is evident.”
Enthusiastic voters successful Budgam, Srinagar and Ganderbal voted implicit the contented of higher bills aft installation of astute meters, simplification successful ration quota astatine depots and nonaccomplishment to capable Government posts. “Lower-middle people has been crushed by the existent regime. In the look of raging unemployment, the Lieutenant Governor’s medication has introduced a high-rate level tariff for electricity, introduced spot taxation and reduced atom per idiosyncratic successful ration depots,” said Nazima Ganai, a pistillate elector from the Eidgah constituency.
Published - September 25, 2024 09:04 p.m. IST
