The Baramulla parliamentary constituency, one of the 49 seats voting in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 today, registered 54 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm, election commission of India said.
This is a record of sorts for the constituency in north Kashmir for any general election held so far. The best turnout in last thirty-five year history of polling in Baramulla seat was 61.09 per cent, in 1984 general elections. The Monday’s turnout will be updated as one more hour of voting is left. The turnout for Baramulla was 46.65 per cent in 1996 general elections.
Baramulla is one of the three seats in the Kashmir division of J&K—other than Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri—where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not fielded any candidates.
The seat comprises assembly segments in the Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, and Budgam districts.
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Former J&K chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference (JKPC) chief Sajad Lone are the main contenders for the seat. Independent candidate Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, is also in the fray, along with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Fayaz Ahmad Mir.
Also Read: Engineer Rashid, jailed under UAPA, electrifies phase 5 Lok Sabha contest in Baramulla today
Srinagar voted in the fourth phase of polling on May 13, and Anantnag-Rajouri will go to the polls in the sixth phase on May 25.
Srinagar recorded a record 38 percent voter turnout during the May 13 polling. This was the highest voting percentage in the constituency since the 1996 general elections, when 41 percent of voters exercised their franchise.
Will Baramulla cross 50% turnout?
After Srinagar’s record, all eyes were on the two seats – Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri. Past election records show that both these seats have registered higher voter turnout than the predominantly urban Srinagar seats.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections Baramulla saw a slight dip in the voter turnout at 35 per cent. In the 2014 elections, Baramulla recorded 39 per cent turnout. In 2009, the Baramulla seat recorded a 41 per cent turnout. In 2004, Baramulla witnessed a 36 per cent turnout.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Election 2024: What does Srinagar’s record voter turnout tell us about J&K’s Article 370 scraping?
In a departure from earlier elections, the Lok Sabha polls 2024 are being held sans any boycott calls. Interestingly, the poll boycotts had never deterred the high voter turnouts in the Baramulla seat earlier, either. The turnout was also expected to increase considering the high-octane campaign by four candidates in the fray.
In 1998, the Baramulla seat saw a 42 percent voter turnout. In 1999, the Baramulla seat registered 28 percent turnout. In the 1996 elections, Baramulla saw 46.65 per cent voter turnout.
Scrapping Article 370
The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 mark the first general elections in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019 by the BJP-ruled Union government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauded the people of Srinagar for the ‘encouraging’ turnout, saying that the abrogation of Article 370 has enabled people to express their potential and aspirations fully. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also commented that voting in Srinagar was “the greatest testament to the rightness of the decision” to revoke Article 370.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Election 2024: Piyush Goyal among top 3 richest candidates in fray in phase 5 polling tomorrow
However, the BJP has not fielded a candidate in any of the three Lok Sabha seats in the predominantly Muslim Kashmir valley. In fact, both the main contenders in Baramulla, Omar Abdullah and Sajad Lone, have been vocal critics of the Centre’s decision to scrap Article 370 and 35A in August 2019. Likewise in Srinagar, NC and PDP candidates sought votes against the Centre’s August 5, 2019 decision.
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Published: 20 May 2024, 06:02 PM IST