Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mehbooba Mufti differ over Srinagar Lok Sabha polls voter turnout

DPAP and PDP chiefs react differently to Srinagar voter turnout post Article 370 abrogation, sending messages to the Centre.

Reacting to the voter turnout DPAP chief Ghulam Nabi Azad and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti reacted differently to the voter turnout in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls on May 13.

The constituency witnessed 37.98% voter turnout in the first Lok Sabha election in the valley since the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019. The Election Commission (EC) stating that it was the "highest turnout in decades".

Mr. Azad, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) president, on May 14 said, “I had hoped that Kashmir will witness 80-90% turnout in view of what has been happening in the past seven to eight years. Article 370 was removed, Statehood was snatched. So I thought the turnout will be high, like 90-95%.”

"The increase of a few per cent hardly matters as it happens in every constituency of India. That way, we can not know whether the people are angry or happy (with the abrogation of Article 370 and snatching of Statehood). It is a new thing for me," he told reporters while campaigning for his party candidate in Kulgam district.

About the rise in poll percentage in the militancy-infested areas like Tral town of Pulwama, Mr. Azad said a small increase in the turnout is normal after every election across India.

"There were some pockets affected by militancy. After 1994-95, the militancy started waning. Today the militancy is next to nothing. The areas affected by militancy also witnessed 30-40% votes and the areas which were not affected, also had similar turnout," he added.

On the other hand, Ms. Mufti, the president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said that the "high" voter turnout in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency polls is a message to the Centre that people have not accepted the abrogation of Article 370 and other decisions regarding Jammu and Kashmir that followed.