Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (May 13) lauded the “encouraging turnout” in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency in the fourth phase of the ongoing general elections, the first in the post-Article 370 era in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the abrogation of Article 370 has enabled the aspirations of the people to find full expression. This comes after Srinagar, the lone J-K seat that went to polls on Monday recorded nearly 38 per cent voting percentage, more than double the turnout in 2019 when the special status was in place.
The Election Commission said that Srinagar witnessed the highest voter turnout since 1996.
What did PM Modi say on Kashmir?
“Would especially like to applaud the people of Srinagar Parliamentary constituency for the encouraging turnout, significantly better than before. The abrogation of Article 370 has enabled the potential and aspirations of the people to find full expression. Happening at the grassroots level, it is great for the people of J&K, in particular the youth,” PM Modi posted on X.
Srinagar approximate voter turnout as per Election Commission data at 6.30 am on Tuesday:
- Central Shalteng - 26.43 per cent
- Chadoora - 49.10 per cent
- Char-e-Shareef - 56 per cent
- Channapora - 22.60 per cent
- Eidgah - 26.81 per cent
- Ganderbal - 49.48 per cent
- Habba Kadal - 14.05 per cent
- Hazratbal - 28.28 per cent
- Kangan (ST) - 58.80 per cent
- Khan Sahib - 50.35 per cent
- Khanyar - 24.24 per cent
- Lal Chowk - 27.33 per cent
- Pampore - 38.01 per cent
- Pulwama - 43.39 per cent
- Rajpora - 45.79 per cent
- Shopian - 47.88 per cent
- Tral - 40.29 per cent
- Zadibal - 29.41 per cent
Overall: 37.98 per cent
Voting percentages in Srinagar in various general elections before the abrogation of Article 370:
- 1996: 40.94 per cent
- 1998: 30.06 per cent
- 1999: 11.93 per cent
- 2004: 18.57 per cent
- 2009: 25.55 per cent
- 2014: 25.86 per cent
- 2019: 14.43 per cent
Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019, which revocated the ‘temporary’ special status given to Jammu and Kashmir.
Srinagar Lok Sabha Election
National Conference candidate Aga Ruhullah, PDP's Wahid Para, JK Apni Party's Ashraf Mir and DPAP's Amit Bhat are among 24 candidates fighting from the Srinagar seat. In the 2019 general elections, only 12 candidates were in the fray from the seat.
The Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency was redrawn after the delimitation and parts of Budgam in central Kashmir were taken away from it, while Pulwama district and parts of Shopian district were added. Voting took place in the districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal, and Pulwama, and partly in Budgam and Shopian districts at around 2,135 polling stations across the Srinagar parliamentary constituency with live webcasting at all the polling stations, the EC said in a statement.
Kashmiri Pandits from the constituency flocked to special polling stations in Jammu and voted for the rehabilitation of their community on "social, economic, and political" fronts.
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