Compared to 2019, when J&K saw the highest — 3200 — instances of cross-border shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), the mood in the 92 villages located within that 19-kilometre stretch is jubilant and festive amid motivational and awareness programmes held even in pockets where residents of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir could observe special election-related events on this side.
Officials said that it was for the first time that Election Commission’s Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programmes were held in villages close to the LoC. “We started voter awareness programmes from the first polling station of India, Seemari, in Kupwara’s Karnah. The first-time voters of India’s first polling station were engaged. A Tiranga rally of schoolchildren was held in a bid to showcase the unwavering spirit of Indian democracy. Let’s stand together on May 20 as Seemari leads the way,” Sapna Kotwal, Nodal Officer, told The Hindu.
Singer Kabul Bukhari also created a buzz in Karnah with even the residents on the other side of the divide hitting the banks of the Neelam river to get a glimpse of the electioneering activities, officials said. “It was a rare experience. Electioneering in a very peaceful atmosphere. It’s going to make a difference in voter turnout in areas close to the LoC,” Nazir Khan, a local, said.
