Just a few days after Pakistan-based jehadis went on a rampage in Srinagar, voters gave them a befitting reply by thronging the polling booths in 16 constituencies in Pulwama, Budgam and Baramulla districts in the third phase of Jammu & Kashmir elections. The turnout was 58 per cent. Similarly, voters also gave thumbs up to democracy in the Maoist-infested Jharkhand, which saw an estimated 60.89 per cent polling in 17 Assembly constituencies.
In North Kashmir’s Sopore, the native village of separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani and executed Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, witnessed some impact of the secessionists’ boycott call.
Though no woman was in the fray among the 144 candidates, a large number of women were seen at the polling booths. Draped in heavy woolens to protect themselves and their identity from the cold and threats, people were seen scurrying towards polling booths throughout the day.
While the long queue at Uri (79%), Khansahib (73%) and Charar-e-Sharief (82%) delighted Press photographers, moderate polling in Sopore (30%) and Tral (37.68%) pockets allowed the poll staff and security personnel to laze around in the booths. No constituency in Jammu region figured in Tuesday’s polling.
Many first-time voters said they wanted to bring about change in order to usher in an era of development and prosperity. “The traditional politicians have duped us. They filled their own coffers but allowed the common people to suffer,” said Imtiyaz Ahmad, a voter at Kushmulla Village in Tral.
Tral is one of the worst militancy-hit areas in Kashmir where potholed and encroached roads, substandard health facilities and dilapidated schools reflect the state of official apathy. The area was the latest victim of violence. On December 5, unknown people tossed a grenade at a bus stand killing two persons and injuring a dozen others. The explosion brought poll activity to a grinding halt.
However, the final turnout of 37.68 per cent in the constituency indicates that the violence failed to deter voters this time. In the lok Sabha polls, Tral has polled the lowest percentage of 1.45 per cent in the entire State. Interestingly, fielding a BJP candidate contributed to the moderate turnout as the party was banking on a poll-boycott and minority votes. At laswani Village in Rajpora constituency 25 votes had been cast out of 491 at 11 am but in nearby Chewa Kalan 138 voters exercised their franchise by 11.30 am.
By the afternoon, queues of voters had swelled in Beerwah constituency of central Budgam district. The constituency attained prominence after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chose to contest from here. “The effect of Omar Abdullah’s presence has made a real difference. It is a VIP constituency now. We can expect more development if he wins and gets power,” said Muhammad Yousuf, a voter at Rathsuna Village.
The separatists’ boycott call had some impact in north Kashmir’s Palhalan, Dooru and Nowpora areas also. A local news agency reported that two votes had been cast at Afzal Guru’s Village. The villagers were trying to find out who the voters were.
Chief Electoral Officer Umang Narula said that 58 per cent turnout was recorded in the third phase. Though it is less than an average of 71 per cent in the first two phases, the turnout is satisfactory for the poll conductors in the backdrop of recent violence that hit the Valley.
In Jharkhand, urban voters, particularly in Ranchi did not show the enthusiasm shown by their brethren in the suburban and rural pockets in exercising their franchise in the 17 constituencies which went to polls on Tuesday.
Silli registered a maximum turnout of 74.77 per cent followed by Ichagarh, Gomia, Koderma, Barhi, Bermo, Barkattha, Dhanwar, Ramgarh and Simaria. Barkagoan and Mandu were among other rural areas that performed reasonably better than urban areas of Hazaribagh and Ranchi. However, the two urban constituencies beat their own record of the 2009 Assembly elections.
Notably, the third phase was a sort of dampener as it arrested the upward trend exhibited in the last two phases of the election in Jharkhand. The overall polling percentage for the third phase stopped at 60.89 per cent whereas polling in the first phase was recorded at 63.25 per cent and 68 per cent in phase two.
Among the eight districts that voted for their next representative, Seraikela topped with 71 per cent polling percentage followed by Koderma (65.47 per cent), Giridih (63.51 per cent), Bokaro (63 per cent), Hazaribagh (61.95 per cent), Ramgarh (61.54 per cent), Chatra (61.42 per cent) and Ranchi (56.03 per cent).
The apathy was accentuated by the fact that the hinterland in some of the districts celebrated the festival of Democracy with fervor than relatively safer urban areas. Voters in constituencies like Simaria and parts of Barkagoan defied Naxal’s boycott diktat besides Barkattha which has its own problems of Naxalism. Significantly, with the exception of Ichagarh no untoward incident was reported from the Naxal-infested constituencies.