JK records highest voter turnout in 35 yrs; CEC indicates assembly polls to be held soon

PTI, May 27, 2024, 3:57 PM IST

The Election Commission on Monday said Jammu and Kashmir recorded the highest voter turnout in a Lok Sabha poll in last 35 years, with the Kashmir Valley witnessing a ”massive” 30 points jump in poll participation compared to 2019.

”This active participation is a huge positive for the assembly elections to be held soon so that the democratic process continues to thrive in the Union Territory,” said Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar while responding to the turnout.

The poll panel also said the combined voter turnout at the polling stations for the entire Union Territory with five Lok Sabha seats was 58.46 per cent.

On Saturday, CEC Kumar had told PTI Video that encouraged by the voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission will ”very soon” initiate the process of holding the assembly polls in the Union Territory.

The three seats in the Valley — Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri — recorded turnout of 38.49 per cent, 59.1 per cent and 54.84 per cent respectively, which has been the highest in last three decades. The other two seats in the UT — Udhampur and Jammu — recorded 68.27 per cent and 72.22 per cent voter turnout respectively, it said.

The Election Commission said that more young people have asserted their faith and embraced democracy in a big way. Another interesting perspective is the electors in the age group of 18-59 years which forms the major part of electors in the UT, it underlined. The high poll percentage in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls is reflective of their faith in democracy, which is a positive and heartening development, it stressed.

According to the EC, the 18-59 years age group constitutes over 80 per cent of the electorate in each of the five Lok Sabha seats of the Union Territory.