The record voters turnout in Srinagar and Baramulla Lok Sabha constituencies may lead to assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir ‘at the earliest,’ Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar has signaled.
Srinagar recorded a record 38 percent voter turnout in 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.
Also Read: Kashmir News: BJP will contest on all 90 assembly seats of J&K, says Amit Shah in Srinagar
Similarly, the Baramulla parliamentary constituency recorded 59 per cent voter turnout during the polling in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on May 20. This is the highest since 1984 general elections when the seat in north Kashmir saw about 61 per cent voter turnout.
“The highly successful conduct of polls with impressive turnout in Srinagar and Baramulla gives the Election Commission the confidence to hold Assembly polls in J&K the earliest,” CEC Kumar told the Indian Express on Monday.
Jammu and Kashmir has been without elected government since 2018 and administered by Centre’s appointee Lieutenant Governor (L-G) since. In December last year, the Supreme Court directed the Election Commission of India to conduct the Assembly polls in the UT by September 2024.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Election 2024: What does Srinagar’s record voter turnout tell us about J&K’s Article 370 scrapping?
Kumar’s signal could mean assembly elections in the erstwhile state soon after the Lok Sabha elections are over.
Top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders hailed the ‘encouraging’ voter turnout in Kashmir seats attributing it to the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The saffron party has, however, not fielded candidates in any of the three seats of Kashmir. Anantnag-Rajouri – one of the three parliamentary seats in Kashmir – will vote in sixth phase on May 25.
Last J&K Assembly Polls in 2014
The last assembly elections in J&K were held in November-December 2014. The election to the 87-member house saw the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) winning 28 seats, the BJP bagging 25 seats and the National Conference wining 15 seats.
The PDP and BJP formed the government with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed becoming the chief minister. Sayeed passed away in January 2016. His daughter Mehbooba Mufti was sworn in as the next chief minister of J&K.
Also Read: Lok Sabha Election 2024: What does Srinagar’s record voter turnout tell us about J&K’s Article 370 scrapping?
In June 2018, the BJP, however, withdrew its support to the PDP-led government and Governor’s rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir. In August 2019, Article 370, that granted special status to J&K, was abrogated and the erstwhile state was divided into two UTs- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
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Published: 21 May 2024, 09:14 AM IST