J&K UT leaves an indelible mark of democracy with a record voter turnout in recent Lok Sabha polls

New Delhi: The Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has set an indelible mark on India’s electoral history with a combined Voter Turnout (VTR) of 58.46% for all the five Lok Sabha constituencies. The Union Territory has created a record with the highest voter turnout in the last 35 years. The Kashmir valley itself has witnessed a massive jump of 30% in voter participation as compared to the 2019 General Elections.

People across the country have been very much preoccupied with the voter turnout in their respective Lok Sabha constituencies this poll season. Most of the time their curiosity has been met with dismal voter turnout. Not so, this time for the people in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. They have given a royal snub to Mumbaikar’s and voters elsewhere in India who failed to vote.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir comprises of five Parliamentary Constituencies namely – Srinagar, Baramulla, Anantnag-Rajouri, Udhampur and Jammu. The combined VTR in all the five PCs in J&K UT has never crossed beyond 49.21%, the highest in 2014 and a lowest of 30.89% in 1999.

The situation in the three PCs of the Kashmir valley namely – Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri was no different either. With lows of 17.72% in 1999 and 19.16% in 2019, to have recorded a record high of 50.86% is a remarkable turnaround. This has been a record jump of 30%!

The VTR in the three PCs of Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri has been 38.49%, 59.1% and 54.84% respectively, which is a record in the last three decades. The other two PCs of Udhampur and Jammu recorded 68.27% and 72.22%.

Another note-worthy aspect of the polling percentage was the participation of voters between the age group of 18 to 59 years, who form the major chunk of the voting population in the UT. In Baramulla their participation was 86.87%, in Srinagar it was 83.44%, in Anantnag-Rajouri it was 86.00%, in Udhampur it was 86.22% and in Jammu it was 82.94%.

The remarkable turnaround especially in the three seats in the Kashmir valley can be gauged from the past electoral data. Srinagar had witnessed a low turnout of 11.93% in 1999 to a high of 38.49% is a quantum jump. Baramulla which had witnessed its lowest turnout of 5.48% in 1989, has witnessed a turnout of 59.1% in 2024. Anantnag-Rajouri PC had witnessed its worst lowest turnout of just 8.98% in 2019, to have recorded a voter turnout of 54.84% in 2024.

The reasons, attributes for this remarkable turnaround may be many for some. But for the Election Commission of India (ECI) it’s like going over the moon and a reason to smile about.

In the run-up to the 2024 General Elections, the ECI had left no stone unturned to ensure enhanced voter participation. As part of its SVEEP program, the ECI had organised adventure sport events, symposiums, awareness rallies and nukkad nataks.

The other activities included making Igloos as dummy polling stations in Baramulla, Para-scooter event in Kathua, sensitization in Beating the Retreat ceremony at Suchetgarh border, mega awareness rally at Teetwal near the LoC, near Dal Lake in Srinagar, roping in folk signers and musicians from the valley for performances at Lal Chowk, Gulmurg, Kulgam and Anantnag.

Reacting to the huge voter turnout, ECIs Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar remarked “this achievement sits on a credible weave of 25% increase in number of contesting candidates since 2019… Compared this outcome of the layered depth of electoral mobilization and participation as reminiscent of the fame and deft of legendary Kashmiri artisanal weave. This active participation is a huge positive for Assembly elections to be held soon so that the democratic process continues to thrive in the Union Territory.”