Over 58% of voters turned out in J&K, marking the highest voter turnout in 35 years

Over 58% of voters turned out in J&K, marking the highest voter turnout in 35 years

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Kashmir Valley had a "massive" 30 point increase in poll participation compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, according to the Election Commission.

According to the Election Commission, Jammu and Kashmir saw the largest voter turnout in a Lok Sabha election in the previous 35 years on Monday. The Kashmir Valley saw a "massive" 30 point increase in poll participation over 2019 figures.

"This active participation is a huge positive for the assembly elections to be held soon so that the democratic process continues to thrive in the Union Territory," said Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar while responding to the turnout.

According to the poll panel, 58.46 percent of voters in the Union Territory as a whole, which has five Lok Sabha seats, turned out to vote at the polling places.

Encouraged by the participation of voters in Jammu and Kashmir for the Lok Sabha elections, CEC Kumar told PTI Video on Saturday that the Election Commission will "very soon" start the process of holding assembly elections in the Union Territory.

“The turnout in the three Valley seats—Srinagar, Baramulla, and Anantnag-Rajouri—was 38.49 percent, 59.1 percent, and 54.84 percent, respectively. This is the greatest percentage of voters in the previous thirty years.”

According to the report, voter turnout in the other two UT seats, Udhampur and Jammu, was 68.27% and 72.22%, respectively.

According to the Election Commission, a greater number of young people have strongly embraced democracy and expressed their faith.

It highlighted that the majority of voters in the UT are in the 18–59 age range, which presents an additional compelling viewpoint.

It emphasized that the high poll % in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is indicative of their belief in democracy, which is an encouraging and positive development.

In all five of the Union Territory's Lok Sabha seats, the EC reports that more than 80% of voters are in the 18–59 age range.