At 59%, turnout touches four-decade high in Baramulla

Baramulla recorded a polling percentage of 59%, with a chance of an upward revision, the highest in 40 years as the seat on Monday went to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

Jammu and Kashmir chief electoral officer Pandurang K Pole told HT that the voting percentage in Baramulla constituency was touching 59% and is expected to go up further.

“In 1984, the percentage was 61.09%. Currently, we are touching 59%. We have snow bound areas like Gurez, Tulail, Karnah from where the polling parties take time to reach Baramulla, possibly by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. They share conservative figures before packing and corrected EVM figures are shared after reaching the headquarters. There is also migrant voting using postal ballots which are yet to be added,” he said.

“For the time being we are second highest, but we may even cross 61 percent to record the highest ever polling percentage,” he said.

Across the Baramulla parliamentary constituency, spread over four districts of Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and a few segments of Budgam, the atmosphere was festive around polling stations, with voters young and old queuing up since the morning.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Baramulla had posted 34.89% votes, while the figure stood at 39.13% and 41.84% in 2014 and 2009.

“The Baramulla parliamentary constituency has recorded 54.57% voting in all its polling stations up to 5 pm,” the office of Jammu and Kashmir chief election officer said.

In the Baramulla town, where the past precedent was voters staying away from polling stations, people queued around polling stations to cast their votes from early morning. “We are voting because this way our area will see development and also we will get a chance to elect our own representatives who can highlight our concerns,” said Abdul Majeed Khan, 55, who cast his vote at 7.30 at the State Motor Garages Office.

As many as 22 candidates are in the fray, but the main competition is between bigwigs — National Conference’s (NC) Omar Abdullah and People’s Conference’s (PC) Sajjad Gani Lone. The emergence of a dark horse, jailed former legislator Engineer Abdul Rashid, whose campaign was spearheaded by his son, has made the fight interesting.

At Yahama, a polling station of Langate in Kupwara, which is Rashid’s home constituency, a large number of voters were seen waiting for their turn to enter the polling station. “Our family has 10 voters and we have all voted today. After the abrogation of Article 370, we feel nobody cares for us and today we got a chance to elect our own representative,” Khazir Mohammad Bhat, a 75-year-old labourer, said.

Handwara, Lone’s home turf, also saw voters jostling to get inside the polling stations set up at Government Higher Secondary Boys and Girls, where 30% voters had already cast their votes at 11.30 am. “Our vote is for development and dignity and for the person who got many projects for our area,” Ifthikar Ahmad, a businessman, said. First-time voter Hyder Mushtaq added, “I want my vote to empower democracy in Kashmir.”

Lone himself cast his vote at Handwara, reiterating his call to end “FIR and verification culture” in Jammu and Kashmir.

Fourteen kilometres away at Trehgam, Kupwara, which has witnessed boycotts in the past, young and old were heading towards a polling station setup at a local school. “We have gotten the wrong tag. By voting today, we want to remove it and also wish our village gets developmental projects,” the village numberdar, who is in his mid-50s and the village’s first postgraduate head, said.

People also came out in droves in the three segments of the Bandipora district. At the polling booth set up in Panchayat Ghar, Dangerpora, in Sonawari segment, 100 of the 630 voters had cast the ballot in the first one-and-a-half hours itself.

Fida Hussain Rather, 36, said the youth has taken great interest in voting, adding that they have been silenced in the past, but wanted to break free. Javed Ahmad, 25, who is pursuing masters in commerce, said he voted for “dignity”, adding, “There is good literacy in Kashmir, but we have minimal jobs.”

At the nearby Sarai Middle School, 138 of the 974 voters were in by 9 am. The need for better education avenues was highlighted by 20-year-old Shaista Ali.

Zahoor Ahmad, 38, a labourer, voted to get rid of the “back breaking” increase in power and water bills. “From ?300, we received power bills of ?1,560. The tap water is so dirty and officials only care about their bills,” he said.

In the premises of government high school, Trigam, where six polling booths were established, the gathering was reminiscent of village festivals. Children relished ice-cream as the youths and elderly discussed politics in groups.

A small-time farmer and labourer, Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, 60, said high rates of essentials have made life difficult. “Our health centre has no facilities. There is inflation. The government reduced our quota of monthly ration. What will a poor farmer do?” he questioned.

The sentiment was echoed by M Jaffar Bhat at government boy’s middle school, Khanpeth in the Pattan segment. “A health centre being constructed in the area has been abandoned owing to lack of funds,” he said.

At government boy’s high school, Singpora in Pattan, M Sabir, a carpet weaver, had come out to vote for the return of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. “Article 370 should return. Someone should talk about that in parliament,” he said.

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the first major polls in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, saw high-decibel campaigning.

NC candidate, Omar Abdullah who visited several polling stations in Pattan said he was hopeful that more and more people will come out to vote by the end of day. “As a politician I am hopeful that more and more people come out to vote today and as a candidate I am sure the majority of them voted for me.”