All 24 assembly constituencies and seven districts of J&K that went to polls last week - including Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Doda that have seen terror activities and gunfights in the recent months - recorded higher turnouts than in LS polls held barely four months back. Also, three of the four Valley districts covered in Phase I - Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam - saw a jump of around 2 to 12 percentage points in turnouts as compared to 2014 assembly poll.
Overall, the people’s participation in J&K Phase I poll, at slightly over 61.1%, was better than the 60% polling witnessed in 2014 assembly poll and way higher than the corresponding 50.3% turnout in the same districts in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The polling was higher in all four Valley’s districts as compared to 2024 LS but slightly lower only in Anantnag when compared to 2014 assembly polls. As regards the three districts of Jammu region that voted - Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban - the polling was higher for all as compared to LS polls but a tad lower in respect of Doda and Ramban ACs, when compared to 2014 assembly polls.
The turnout figures for last week’s polling are still provisional. Also, an assembly constituency (AC)-wise comparison between 2014 and current assembly elections would not be accurate as the constituencies were redrawn in 2022 as part of the delimitation exercise.
Commenting on the improved turnout, chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said that the people of Jammy & Kashmir have proven right the Urdu couplet recited by him while announcing J&K polls on August 16, which, translated into English, means that “in the celebration of democracy, your (J&K people’s) participation will show the world the story of defeat of malafide intentions (napaak iraadon ki shikast)”.
