J-K records 65 per cent turnout in all phases of polling, highest in 25 years

Jammu: In the first three hours of polling, only 82 votes had been cast at 52 Tourist Reception Centre, a booth located in the heart of old Jammu City. Elsewhere in the winter capital too, the polling in the fifth and last phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections began on a sluggish note on Saturday, giving activists of various political parties in the fray some anxious moments.

Soon their ‘squads’ went round to ‘encourage’ the voters to come out and use their democratic right without further wait. Nirmala Mahajan, a housewife, while emerging of a dark alley to cast her vote at 55 Gummat, also in the walled City, said she had to prepare breakfast for a family of seven, wash dishes and put everything else in order at her house before she could think of going out to vote.

“And then it was too cold outside”, she said. While pointing to a group of men standing near the mausoleum of a Muslim peer next to the polling station set up in the Jammu Municipal Corporation premises which had asked her to go inside quickly and vote, she said, “Look at them. How impatient they seem to be.”

Jammu City, particularly its old part is traditionally a BJP-RSS stronghold. The lack of enthusiasm among its voters witnessed during the initial few hours of polling was perceptibly worrisome for the party. While no queues of voters could be seen at the polling stations, people were busy elsewhere as marketplaces were open and also skeleton transport services were plying on the roads.

On a positive note, there were no visible tensions as one had perceived during entire election process just across the Pir Panjal ridge in the Kashmir Valley until a week ago, although twin attacks at BJP candidates allegedly by their rivals outside the winter capital overnight added some violent element to otherwise peacefully wrapped up electioneering in Jammu region.

Notwithstanding, a tight security umbrella had been put up across all the twenty segments of districts of Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri as some of these are located in close proximity to International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and where from thousands of families had to flee in the aftermath of recent skirmishes between the facing troops and had just returned to their homes and heart to vote.

However, polling picked up as the day advanced and became brisk at places by Noon. Yet it remained moderate in most of the segments. As per the official statistics, by 2 PM when two hours of polling were still left as many as 55.29 percent voter turnout had been recorded with Marh segment witnessing the highest (65.44%).

While most of the voters interviewed by this correspondent said that they voted to effect ‘badlav’ (change), those from the border-belt reiterated that all they wanted is cross-border firings should stop for ever and permanent peace returns to the area.

In Ranbir Singh Pura which is at stone’s throw from the IB and known for producing one of the finest Basmati rice varieties in the world, farmers who, undeterred by the winter chill, came out to vote in large numbers said they were doing it in the hope this sector, badly hit by recent floods and cross-border firings, is revived at earliest. In old Jammu City itself, voters refused to divulge who they voted for but then while echoing Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, said they did it to ensure the dream of “peace and development” in Jammu and Kashmir is translated into reality.

With Saturday’s polling curtain has fallen on the fifth and last phase of elections to 87-member J&K Assembly. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on Tuesday and a new government is expected to be formed by first week of January 2015.