Srinagar/Pulwama/Shopian/Tral: On Monday morning, 64-year-old Mehrajuddin woke up very early and headed to the polling station in Zaina Kadal, located in the downtown area of Srinagar, known for its history of stone-pelting and anti-India graffiti.
For hours, he stood there to assess the prevailing mood among voters, deliberating, and then made his move. He went inside and cast his vote.
Mehrajuddin’s journey to the ballot box marks a profound milestone, as his last vote was cast 28 years ago in 1996. His motivation is twofold: the waning of militancy, and the absence of boycott and bandh calls, and the need to choose a representative amid Jammu & Kashmir’s (J&K) governance vacuum.
He fears that without choosing an MP from the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency (one of five in the Union Territory of J&K), the region would become entirely dependent on the central government, particularly since it lacks its own assembly.
Mehrajuddin’s sentiments were echoed by many voters in Srinagar who, for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, emphasised the necessity of political representation for Kashmir.
This sentiment echoes across the constituency, encompassing Srinagar, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Budgam, and Shopian. Many voters came out to vote after 25 years, and there were others who voted for the first time.
Remarkably, even in regions once plagued by militancy, such as Shopian, Tral, and Pulwama, voter turnout defied expectations, standing at 45 percent, 37.52 percent, and 39.25 percent, respectively.
This, polling officials deployed across booths told ThePrint, underscores a notable shift towards increased civic engagement and participation in these areas.
In the 2019 parliamentary elections, Pulwama had recorded 2.15 percent and Shopian logged only 3 percent voter turnout.
The total voter turnout in Srinagar constituency was recorded at around 36 percent till 6 pm Monday. In 2019, this figure was 14.43 percent, and the highest voter turnout since 1989 was recorded in 1996 at 40.94 percent, according to data shared by the J&K Police.
Speaking to ThePrint, Additional Director General of Police Vijay Kumar termed it a huge success for the region.
“It is a success for the region that the election went off peacefully. There were no reported incidents of violence or terror, which is commendable. The voter turnout was extremely good. Some districts like Pulwama and Shopian, terrorist-infested areas where the turnout used to be a mere 2-3 percent, have (now) seen over 45 percent voting,” he said.
“What happened in Kashmir today is extremely significant. This shows that an enabling environment has been created for the people to come out and exercise their right to vote,” a senior government functionary in Srinagar told ThePrint.
While the National Conference has fielded Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, a former cabinet minister and Shia cleric, Apni Party’s candidate is Mohammad Ashraf Mir. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has nominated Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, former secretary of J&K sports council and president of its youth wing.
“Thank you, Srinagar, Pulwama, Ganderbal and Budgam. Really humbled by the numbers in which you have spoken,” Mehdi posted on X late Monday.
Thank you Srinagar, Pulwama, Gandarbal and Budgam. Really humbled by the numbers in which you have spoken.
— Ruhullah Mehdi (@RuhullahMehdi) May 13, 2024
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‘Suffocation, silence, need for representation’
Latif Ahmed Nazar, 50, is voting for the first time as he believes that Kashmir has been rendered powerless. And the only way to have a representation in the government is by electing a representative.
Nazar told ThePrint that for years, the voice of Kashmiris had not been heard and this (election) was a chance to make that happen.
“I am here to elect my representative who can make my voice heard in Parliament. Kashmir does not have a chief minister or MLA (member of legislative assembly) who would hear our grievances. We have been under Governor’s rule for the last six years. When elections were announced, we decided to step out and vote because we want to choose our person who would be part of the government and would address our grievances and help look for solutions,” he said.
“For how long can we just be under the Centre? With this election we want our voices, that were muffled and silenced, to be heard.”
Ruksar Ahmed, a resident of Zampathri Pulwama, is hopeful that this (Lok Sabha) election will pave the way for assembly elections in J&K.
He said that he had discussed with his friends and they believe that if this election sees a good voter turnout and is a success, it will give a clear message to the Centre that Kashmir is conducive to holding elections.
“People feel that if this result is good, then the assembly election will also happen soon. If the turnout in this election is good, it will pave the way for the assembly election. Earlier, the turnout used to be very low; people were scared, many people did not know the importance of casting vote. Now, people are more aware and more desperate to have one of their own representatives in the government,” he told ThePrint.
Ahmed asserted that for Kashmiris, this election was more about expressing their choice and exercising their rights. “This election is about expressing what we want. We have not had a voice for so long. There was no election for so many years; this time we want to make our voice heard.”
PDP candidate Parra also told ThePrint that the main agenda for the party was to break the silence in J&K, end the cycle of suffocation that has been created due to a political vacuum, and heal people through an electoral process.
“This election is less about garnering votes and more about ending the suffocation. People are disillusioned, but there is a realisation that it is important to vote to bring in a leader, who would represent them and make their voice heard. J&K has not had that since 2018. People would come out to reclaim what they have lost,” he said.
NC’s Mehdi explained that the election was about “restoring the dignity and democratic rights snatched from Kashmiris post the abrogation of Article 370,” and, hence, a good voter turnout was expected.
‘Bring change, awareness’
For many first-time young voters, this Lok Sabha election is a chance to give the mandate to a deserving candidate.
Many of them told ThePrint that in Kashmir, candidates who did not deserve to be in power used to win as no one voted. Those candidates used to win by 10 or 20 votes, uncontested. This, the voters said, had plagued Kashmir, and this will now change.
“We decided to come out in huge numbers because we did not want an undeserving candidate to win just because we did not go out to vote. We have suffered enough because of this. In the past, these candidates would win by a mere 10-20 votes, but not anymore. We want to vote for the betterment of Kashmir,” Tahir Alam Bhatt, a voter from Pulwama, said.
Mir Junaid Majeed, 20, from Tral had the same view. “We are voting because we want our own government here. The right to vote should be exercised, why waste a vote? A vote can help us choose our own government and bring change. If we don’t vote, an undeserving candidate will rule over us. If we want change and development, then we will have to give a vote and that is why we are here,” he explained.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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