New Delhi: Kashmir’s Sopore, once a hotbed of militancy and stronghold of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, has seen a dramatic shift in voter behaviour, with turnout surging to 44.2 percent from just 4 percent in 2019. This is the highest voter turnout recorded in the segment in three decades, Election Commission data shows.
The Sopore segment is part of the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, which voted Monday. Overall, this constituency recorded an all-time highest voter turnout of 59 percent, surpassing its previous record of 46.65 percent in 1996. In 2019, the voter turnout was 34.6 percent. The Handwara segment recorded the highest voting in Baramulla at 72.04 percent.
Speaking to ThePrint, a government official characterised the voting in Sopore as a “huge success” given its past of abysmal turnouts due to boycott calls from militants.
“This area is a bastion of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and the hometown of senior separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. No one used to come out to vote in this area out of fear. There used to be a total boycott,” the official said. “Whoever (1 to 2 percent) came to vote also used to cover their faces and then go to the booth. It is commendable that people queued up at the booth to vote.”
The official added that this time, people voted for development and that the BJP government must be given credit for the improved law-and-order situation. He also claimed that people had moved past fighting over Article 370.
“The people want development, growth, and prosperity in Kashmir, just like any other state in India. They are not voting because they are angry with the government or want to get back at them, as being said by many politicians,” he said. “They are tired of the hartals and boycotts and that is why they are coming out in large numbers to vote.”
He also praised the administration and police for giving people “an enabling environment to come out and vote without any fear”.
With over 17 lakh voters, Baramulla parliamentary constituency — encompassing parts of Kupwara, Baramulla, and Bandipora districts — witnessed a triangular contest featuring Omar Abdullah of the National Conference (NC), Sajad Lone of the Jammu Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC), and an Independent candidate, Sheikh Abdul Rashid.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which did not field any candidate, is supporting the JKPC candidate.
“First, we were being driven by hartal calls, then we could not develop because of corrupt officials. This has to end, we need change. That is why we will choose our representative, someone who understands us,” voter Junaid, a fruit seller, said.
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Effects of delimitation
Following the delimitation exercise, Baramulla got two new assembly segments — Kunzer and Tangmarg — under it. The existing Sangrama segment was merged with Tangmarg.
While Baramulla has traditionally been an NC bastion, political experts claim Lone may have an upper hand because, after the delimitation, two Shia-dominated assembly seats from Budgam district were included in the constituency, garnering significant support for him. On the other hand, the NC relies more on Shia support from areas like Budgam, Beerwah, and Bandipora.
While former Chief Minister Abdullah and Lone are the big-hitters in the contest, Independent candidate Sheikh Abdul Rashid, popularly known as ‘Engineer Rashid’ has also been drawing large crowds. Rashid was arrested by the National Investigation Agency in 2019 in a case of terror funding under the UAPA.
‘Development, corruption, change’
As people went to vote in Baramulla, the lack of political representation, lagging development, and the need to replace ‘babu raj’ with a chief minister resonated on the ground as a collective demand.
Additionally, electricity shortages, high bills due to smart metres, limited ration, and unemployment are major concerns across the constituency.
Speaking to ThePrint, voters from Kupwara said that they wished to vote for change.
“Kashmir has always been on the receiving end of dynasts, whether it is NC or PDP. This needs to change and that is why we are coming to vote,” fruit seller Junaid, quoted earlier, said.
Another voter, Sharif Ahmad, a transporter in the area, said that Kashmir, which is still struggling for basic necessities, needs to develop just like any other part of the world.
“There is no ration, no electricity, no road connectivity. We want to vote so that someone comes and does something for us. The bureaucracy rule has ruined us. We need our man in the Parliament who could put our interests forward,” he said.
Ahmad added that he had noticed an “improvement in law and order” in recent years, but that it came with a catch.
“There are no hartals, we are able to work and earn money, but the fear is still there. Fear to express,” he said.
Further, he complained that local bodies entrusted with development were not doing enough.
“The administration may say that the local bodies have worked, but they have not. They may have built a few roads to show on papers but they are corrupt,” he alleged. “No one hears us out, our problems. We just hope that the assembly elections take place soon, so that we get MLAs and a Chief Minister.”
(Edited by Asavari Singh)
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