Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked that the record-breaking voter turnout in the recent Lok Sabha elections shattered a 40-year-old record, signalling a powerful message from the people of Kashmir to the world and to those who used to have doubts by voting in record numbers.
In an interview with news agency ANI, the Prime Minister said, " I would like to pray to the justice system of our country that if the government wants to do any work, they have a design and strategy to do that work. To solve such problems, work had to be done under that strategy. Now sometimes I had to shut down the internet for that. Some NGOs went to court and it became a big issue in the court but today the children there proudly say that the internet has not been shut down for the last 5 years and we have been getting all the facilities for the last 5 years. There was some pain for a few days, but it was for a good cause. It is very important to save the country from such NGOs."
He further said that it is a matter of greatest satisfaction for me that my brothers and sisters from Kashmir came forward to vote with great enthusiasm. "When the common man votes there, it is not just to make someone win, voting means that the voter accepts the Constitution of India and expresses his dedication towards the entire spirit of India. As a result, voting records of 40 years have been broken. It is a matter of greatest satisfaction for me that my brothers and sisters from Kashmir came forward to vote with great enthusiasm. By voting, they have given a message to the world and to those who used to have doubts," he said.
On his decision to remove Article 370, PM Modi said, "Article 370 was the agenda of only four-five families, it was neither the agenda of the people of Kashmir nor the agenda of the people of the country. For their benefit, they had built such a wall of 370 and used to say that if 370 is removed, there would be a fire. Today it has become true that after the removal of 370, there is a feeling of more unity. The feeling of belongingness is increasing among the people of Kashmir and hence its direct result is also visible in elections and tourism."
Highest-ever polling in Jammu and Kashmir
In over several decades, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed record polling in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, compared to earlier polls. This was the first major election in the Union Territory following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution by the Centre in August 2019.
Jammu-Kashmir has a total of five Lok Sabha seats including Udhampur, Jammu, Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri. In the first five phases, polling has already concluded in Udhampur, Jammu, Srinagar, and Baramulla. Anantnag-Rajouri is voting today in the sixth phase. Let's compare the voting percentage in J-K constituencies in 2024 vs 2019.
| Constituency | Voter turnout in 2024 | Voter turnout in 2019 |
| Srinagar | 38.49% | 14.43% |
| Baramulla | 59.10% | 34.6% |
| Anantnag-Rajouri | 54.84% | 8.98% |
| Udhampur | 68.27% | 70.15% |
| Jammu | 72.22% | 72.5% |
If we look at the polling percentage in 2024 and 2019, except Udhampur, all four constituencies in J-K have witnessed more voting. While voting in Jammu is marginally high, it has almost doubled in Srinagar and Baramulla compared to 2019. In Anantnag-Rajouri where the election is underway today, polling has increased by 4 times than the last election.
