Sopore: Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore town, once known as ‘Chhota Pakistan’, has recorded a low turnout in the polls so far as voters thronged to polling booths to exercise their right to vote in the Lok Sabha elections. We witnessed a marked change in the number of participants, indicating a break away from the low participation rates that had been observed.
Sopore and Rafiabad areas, once hotbeds of militancy and dominated by foreign terrorists in the 1990s, saw a revival of electioneering with high voter turnout.
Sopore in Baramulla district is part of Baramulla constituency.
Baramulla witnessed a close race between National Congress leader Omar Abdullah, former MLA and two-time independent candidate Engineer Rashid, and People’s Congress leader Sajjad Lone.
Local residents like Ishfaq from Shilu village, who cast their first vote, expressed a newfound enthusiasm for the democratic process of bringing about positive change in their communities.
“I am happy to vote today because I missed out on voting last time, because if I want to see change around me, I have to be a part of that change,” he said.
Sopore and Rafiabad, which have historically suffered from the lowest voter turnout, have seen a significant increase in voter participation this time, with Sopore registering 44.49 percent and Rafiabad 59.40 percent, according to the latest data.
Local voices, including Irfan Sheikh of Sopore, emphasized the importance of public participation and emphasized that change requires active participation rather than passive observation.
“Staying indoors or boycotting won’t change the situation, so people have to go vote,” said Sheikh, a resident of Sopore’s hinterland and an election official for the National Congress.
Recent overtures by the banned Jamaat-e-Islami to enter electoral politics also helped boost turnout and highlighted the group’s influence in the region.
“No one can deny that banned groups have influence. They used to intimidate voters, but nothing like that is happening now,” said Ghazanfar, a former civil servant.・Ali says.
issued May 20, 2024, 15:56 IST
