The Election Commission on Monday said Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its highest poll participation in the last 35 years in the Lok Sabha election 2024.
“In a massive stride for India’s electoral polity, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its highest poll participation in the last 35 years. The combined Voter Turnout (VTR) at the polling stations for the entire Union Territory (5 Lok Sabha seats) was 58.46 per cent in the General Elections 2024,” the poll panel said in a communiqué.
The ECI said this significant participation is a testament to the robust democratic spirit and civic engagement of the people in the region.
The active participation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in general elections is a huge positive for upcoming assembly elections in the Union Territory, it said.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar while conveying ECI’s compliments to the voters of Jammu and Kashmir said, “This achievement sits on a credible weave of 25 per cent increase in number of contesting candidates since 2019, C-vigil complaints showing enhanced citizen involvement and Suvidha Portal showing 2,455 requests for rallies etc., reflecting the steady retaking of the election and campaign space away from hesitation and to fuller participation.”
“Compared this outcome of the layered depth of electoral mobilisation and participation, as reminiscent of the fame and deft of the legendary Kashmiri artisanal weave. This active participation is a huge positive for Assembly elections to be held soon so that the democratic process continues to thrive in the Union Territory,” he said.
The ECI further said, “The voter turnout of 50.86 per cent from the three parliamentary constituencies (PCs) in the Kashmir valley echoes the faith of the people in the democratic process. The poll participation percentage witnessed a 30 points jump from the last general elections in 2019 where it was 19.16 per cent.”
“The three PCs in the valley namely Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri recorded VTR of 38.49 per cent, 59.1 per cent and 54.84 per cent respectively, which has been highest in the last three decades. The other two parliamentary seats in the UT namely Udhampur and Jammu recorded 68.27 per cent and 72.22 per cent voter turnout respectively,” it said.
It may be mentioned that as part of awareness and outreach, a wide range of activities were organised as part of SVEEP on the field in Jammu and Kashmir for the General Elections. Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir organised adventure sports events, symposiums, awareness rallies, nukkad natak and numerous other events to propagate the message of voting.