Indian Kashmir records second-highest voter turnout in decades

Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir — Voter turnout in Indian Kashmir neared record highs Monday as residents swarmed polling stations across Srinagar in the first national election since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2019 nullification of the Himalayan region's semi-autonomous status.

Marking the second-highest voting percentage in more than three decades, Monday's turnout of at least 36% reverses a long-running trend of unusually low vote counts. More than double the 2019 election turnout of 14.43%, Monday's turnout, according to regional election officials, remains lower than India's national average of 62%.

“Overall, the polling process was peaceful, with no negative incidents occurring during the voting process as well as during the campaigning period,” said Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Electoral Officer Pandurang Kundbarao Pole, who said none of Srinagar's 2,135 polling booths went unused.

Roiled by a 35-year insurgency against Indian rule that has killed tens of thousands, turnout in past elections was impacted by boycotts and threats of militant attacks.

Pole said security throughout the Kashmir Valley, which Modi's 2019 ruling bifurcated into two federally governed territories of Jammu-and-Kashmir and Ladakh, has improved, resulting in increased turnout.

“I arrived at 6 a.m. to cast my vote. This is the first time I have voted because I want to see the change,” Srinagar resident Muzamil Rashid Mir told VOA. “Our rights and dignity were snatched from us by the central government. I have shown faith in democracy by exercising my franchise. I want to see the rolling back of the special status.”

While some polling stations saw enormous and demographically diverse crowds waiting in long lines amid tight security, others had a picnic-like atmosphere with people serving tea, bread and biscuits.

With Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) skipping elections in Kashmir for the first time since 1996, saying it will support regional parties instead, the main players are the National Conference (NC) and People's Democratic Party (PDP), which have focused on restoration of semi-autonomy in their campaigns.

Mir says he's backing NC's Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and PDP's Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra.

“Mehdi has been vocal about our special status while on the other hand, Parra has been vocal, too, about the rights people of Kashmir have been demanding for years,” Mir said. “I want one among the two to win the seat.”

Some locals, such as 80-year-old Fata Begum, say BJP’s style of governance has left voters no choice but to reject “forceful decisions imposed” upon them.

“Inflation has surged and smart meters have been installed in our homes even though the economic conditions are weak and our youth are unemployed. This is all because of Modi,” Begum told VOA.

NC Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani told VOA that all prominent candidates are prepared take a tough stance in parliament to represent the will of Kashmir Valley voters.

“The outcome is the result of a 2019 decision taken by the BJP,” Wani said. “The candidates will fight for the rights that people have been demanding.”

Meanwhile, President Modi praised members of the Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency for the high turnout, which he called “significant and better than before.”

“The abrogation of Article 370," the constitutional clause granting Jammu and Kashmir special status "has enabled the potential and aspirations of the people to find full expression,” Modi commented on the X social media platform. “Happening at the grassroots level, it is great for the people of J&K, in particular the youth.”

Kashmir is disputed by India, which rules the populous Kashmir Valley and the Hindu-dominated region of Jammu, and Pakistan, which controls a wedge of territory in the west. China holds a thinly populated high-altitude area in the north.

The highest Kashmir Valley voter turnout of 40.94% was recorded in 1996, according to regional election officials. Despite large-scale allegations of "coercive voting," according to Indian journalist Anuradha Bhasin, that election cycle was largely touted by Indian government officials as "progress towards democracy after decades of separatist insurgency in Kashmir."

Wasim Nabi contributed to this report. Some information came from Reuters.