Voters standing in a queue to exercise their right to vote at a polling station in Anantnag
Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha segment recorded over 53 per cent polling in the 6th phase on Saturday. This is roughly six times more than the single digit polling of 9 per cent recorded in 2019. Earlier in the day, it had recorded a 45 per cent until 3 pm and a 35 per cent by 1 pm. Buddhal in Rajouri recorded 68 per cent polling and in Kulgam assembly segment, it was half that much at 34 per cent. Overall, much higher polling percentage was recorded in Rajouri and Poonch districts than Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama.
In Rajouri and Poonch, all seven assembly segments had recorded over 65 per cent voting by 5 pm. During earlier phases of polling, Srinagar had recorded 35 per cent and Baramulla 59 per cent. In Rajouri and Poonch districts, the voter enthusiasm has historically been very high. This time too, the voter mobilisation and enthusiasm in these two districts was very high.
There were 18.36 lakh (13.93 lakh in 2019) voters in the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha segment spread over five districts: Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian (Zainapora), Rajouri, and Poonch. There were approximately 81,000 first time voters and the number of Kashmiri Pandits was put at approximately 25,000 in this Lok Sabha segment.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, National Conference candidate Husnain Masoodi, with just 40,180 out of over 13 lakh (a little over three per cent) had emerged as the as the winner. In 2014, there was over 28 per cent polling but in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the polling percentage in single digits was recorded at just 9 per cent as already stated. The highest polling percentage was recorded in 1984 when it stood at 70 per cent and the lowest polling was in 1989 when only five per cent votes were cast.
It bears mention here that Rajouri and Poonch are now part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha segment after the new delimitation done in 2022. There was no delimitation in Jammu & Kashmir ever before 2022 ever since 1967. Due to Article 370, the two delimitations that happened nationwide in 1975 and 2002 were not done in J&K.
Poonch and Rajouri districts that fall in the Jammu usually recorded high polling percentages in the past too. During Lok Sabha polls, the percentage was somewhat lower but during assembly elections in 2014, all seven assembly seats in these districts had recorded over 75 per cent polling.
In 2014 assembly elections, Darhal segment in Rajouri recorded above 82 per cent voting while voting in Mendhar was 80 per cent and in Nowshera 79 per cent. Kalakote returned a polling percentage of 77 per cent, Poonch Haveli, Rajouri and Surankot recorded above 76 per cent each. The polling percentage is expected to be high in Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha segment, due partly to the mass mobilisation by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the National Conference (NC).
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is a candidate from this constituency and it pitted against Mian Altaf of the NC. In some ways, Mian Altaf is a class apart as no member of his family for three generations now has lost any election till date right from 1957 when his grandfather entered electoral arena for the first time. Mian Altaf’s father Mian Bashir also remained a legislator and was always a winner whenever he contested an election. This applies to Mian Altaf too who has won the last five assembly elections in a row.
Mehbooba Mufti staged a sit-in protest at Bijebehera alleging her party workers had been detained by the police. “Mostly they are OGWs and are taken into preventive custody for ensuring a safe and peaceful elections”, the police in a post on X, denying her charge. She had made similar charges earlier too but Zafar Manhas, candidate of Apni Party, accused her of trying to play the victim card.
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