The maiden District Development Council (DDC) polls in J&K concluded peacefully on Saturday and recorded a 51% voter turnout in the final eighth phase. However, the Kashmir valley saw the lowest 29.91% polling.
“J&K recorded 50.98% voting for the eighth phase, with Jammu recording 72.71% voting and Kashmir 29.91%,” State Election Commissioner (SEC) K.K. Sharma said.
Official figures suggested that north Kashmir’s Kupwara recorded the highest 63.8% voting in the Valley, and 83.58% in Poonch in the Jammu division.
These polls were the first electoral process undertaken since the abrogation of J&K’s special status in 2019. The elections reported very few incidents of militant violence and saw no separatist campaign for a boycott.
“People’s participation and peaceful conduct of eight phased elections is explicitly showing that the people of J&K have reaffirmed their faith in democracy and democratic set-up,” SEC Sharma said.
The maiden DDC polls saw elections held in 280 DDC constituencies. Moreover, 1,088 vacant panchayat halqas and 12,153 panch constituencies also saw by-polls.
Mr. Sharma said an aggregate 40% voter turnout was registered in the Kashmir valley during the previous seven phases. “The voting was a success with the active participation of all the stakeholders. The voter turnout is quite satisfactory. The active participation of political parties and independent candidates have made this election successful,” Mr. Sharma added.
Significant, says BJP
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dr. Darakshan Andrabi said the success of the polls reflect that “people of Kashmir have expressed satisfaction over restrictions put on the looters of J&K after August 5, 2019 and they no more get swayed by emotion-raking politics”.
“People’s participation is an endorsement of the constitutional change in J&K. We saw violence-free and peaceful elections. Making in-roads into every corner of the Valley was significant in many ways for the BJP,” Ms. Darakshan said.
Low turnout
In the eighth phase, volatile south Kashmir, which continues to witness frequent encounters with local militants, recorded a poor turnout of voters.
Official figures said south Kashmir’s Anantnag saw just 8.66% polling, Kulgam was at 11.2%, Pulwama at 8.5%, and Shopian at 8.58%.
The Internet was snapped in Pulwama’s Pampore segment, reserved for women, as a precautionary measure. “My aim to participate is to enroll development projects in Pampore, which has just seen violence in the past one decade. These polls are limited to the development process and J&K needs a political process to address its political aspect,” a female DDC candidate said.
Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti welcomed the election of a Kashmiri Pandit candidate, Chaman Lal, for a sarpanch post in south Kashmir’s Shopian.
“A Kashmiri pandit who was away from the Valley since the last 30 years was elected as a sarpanch today [in Shopian]. This is true Kashmiriyat. Hope this is an eye opener for rest of India where laws like CAA [Citizenship Amendment Act] and anti conversion bills are brought to punish Muslims,” Ms. Mufti tweeted.
Meanwhile, five people were injured in a scuffle between the supporters of the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration and independent candidates in Poonch. “It did not impact the polling,” an official said.
