In a remarkable turn of events, the Srinagar Parliamentary constituency witnessed its highest voter turnout in four decades on Monday.
According to official data released by the Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Electoral Office (CEO), the constituency recorded approximately 39% polling, a figure expected to rise further. This impressive turnout marks a significant milestone, as the last time Srinagar saw such high voter participation was in 1984, when a staggering 73.51% of the electorate exercised their franchise. Since then, the highest polling percentage on this seat was 40% during the 1996 Lok Sabha elections.
The 1996 elections saw a total of 786,301 electors in the Srinagar Parliamentary constituency, with 297,891 valid votes cast. The Indian National Congress candidate, Ghulam Mohammad, emerged victorious, securing 55,503 votes and defeating Janata Dal’s Farooq Ahmad Anderabi by a narrow margin of 1,599 votes.
It is noteworthy that the National Conference had boycotted the 1996 Lok Sabha elections. Due to poll boycott calls issued by separatist groups and the prevailing fear of terrorist activities, the 2019 election on the Srinagar Parliamentary seat recorded a mere 14.43% voter turnout. Remarkably, this year’s voting percentage record was broken within the first four hours of polling, surpassing the previous high mark set in 1984.
During that historic election, the National Conference candidate, Abdul Rashid Kabli, secured an impressive 81.50% of the total votes polled. In the 1989 Lok Sabha elections, when terrorism began to escalate in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, there was zero percent polling on the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, with the National Conference candidate, Mohammad Shafi Bhat, being elected unopposed. The 1999 Parliamentary elections witnessed a dismal 11.93% polling on the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, further highlighting the significance of Monday’s impressive voter turnout. As the nation eagerly awaits the final polling figures, this remarkable display of democratic participation in Srinagar serves as a beacon of hope and a testament to the resilience of the people in the face of adversity.
