A total of 36.93 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm in phase II of the Assembly elections in J&K on Wednesday, September 25, Election Commission officials said.
Voting started to gain momentum as people flocked to polling booths in large numbers after 11 am. “All polling stations of 26 assembly constituencies spread across six districts of Jammu and Kashmir have so far recorded an impressive turnout,” said the Chief Electoral Officer in a statement.
Officials are expecting the voting percentage to touch 60 per cent or even higher in Phase II, similar to phase I.
Asked about issues bothering voters, Mohammad Yousuf, 50, from Budgam, said, “People are suffering due to inflation, unemployment, and the high cost of electricity. On top of that, there are no elected representatives who can hear us out, so I voted for change.”
Owais Ahmad 25, a resident of Srinagar working in the private sector, said, “There is a job crisis here, as well as rising drug issues prevailing among youth. This needs to be fixed without delay.”
Mohammad Ashraf, 56, a resident of Srinagar, after casting his vote, said, “Let alone the problem of the jobs crisis among educated youth; there is a crisis even in the labour market; people can’t find regular work.”
Some voters said they felt suffocated under the current setup. Elections are not only meant for choosing leaders but it’s for self-respect and identity that they lost in 2019 after Article 370 was abrogated, they added.
Some people also said they voted because they “wanted to keep the BJP and its proxies from gaining power and ground in the Valley.”
Voting began at 7 am and was continuing peacefully and briskly in almost all constituencies amid stringent security measures, as per data released by the ECI.
Voters — women, including the young and old — displayed their inked fingers with pride after exercising their right to vote.
The second phase of polling will decide the fate of 239 candidates, including Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of the erstwhile state of J &K who is contesting from the twin seats of Budgam and Ganderbal.
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