Voters, both men and women, started queuing up outside polling stations in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on May 13 morning amid allegations of “official interference” by regional parties, the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Over five percent polling was recorded till 9 a.m.
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Locals were seen converging on polling booths in volatile pockets of Pulwama, which recorded just around one percent voting in the 2019 Parliament elections.
“We are voting to end the onslaught. Our district witnessed raids by security agencies and slapping of the Public Safety Act on youths in the past five years. Voting is a means to bring a change and end the sense of fear,” said a young voter, in Karimabad, Pulwama.
Scores of voters in Srinagar pointed at the events of August 5, 2019 as their motivation to show up at the polling booths for the first time. “We are being dispossessed. We are voting to secure our rights,” a 62-year-old Nazir Ahamd, voting for the first time in 30 years, said at Srinagar’s Nowshera area.
According to official figures, the volatile pockets of Pampore witnessed 4.61% polling, Pulwama 5.14%, Rajpora 5.87%, Tral 3.70% and Shopian 7.03% till 9 a.m. All these areas witnessed a domination of militants in the past.
A sluggish start was observed in several urban pockets. Khanyar in the old city recorded zero percent voting till 9 a.m. The pockets of Chanapora and Habba Kadal saw less than three percent polling.
Meanwhile, several politicians, including National Conference (NC) president Dr. Farooq Abdullah, NC vice president Omar Abdullah, PDP candidate Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra and J&K Apni Party candidate Altaf Bukhari cast their votes.
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“It’s unfortunate that on one hand they (the administration) say there is no boycott and no violence but our workers have been arrested. They say the elections will be free and fair. I ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister (Amit Shah) why our workers are jailed? Do they fear defeat?” Dr. Abdullah said.
Junior Abdullah said the NC provided eight names of the party workers and the names of the police stations to the Election Commission of India (ECI). “The administration says our concerns were baseless even when we provided the names,” Mr. Abdullah said, after casting his vote.
PDP candidate Waheed Ur Rehman Parra also accused the administration of “slowing down the voting process”. “Many of our polling agents were denied entry into polling booths on different pretexts,” Mr. Parra said.
Urging people to come out and vote, Mr. Parra said, “Many of our party workers and polling agents have been arrested by the police. I urge people, media, and the Election Commission to strengthen the process and ensure transparency. First time voters of Kashmir are coming out to vote. We should take it positively and the government should encourage the process rather than trying to derail it.”
A total of 17,47,810 lakh voters, including 8,75,938 male and 8,71,808 female, are registered in the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat. Around 2,135 polling stations have been set up in five districts of Srinagar, Pulwama, Budgam, Ganderbal and Shopian. More than 8,500 polling staff, including reserve staff, will be deployed.
