At 59%, Baramulla records all-time high voter turnout in LS polls

Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, which was once militancy-infested, recorded its highest-ever voter turnout on Monday at 59 percent on a violence-free polling day, the Union territory's chief electoral officer PK Pole said in Srinagar.

He also said that the Sopore assembly segment of the parliamentary constituency witnessed a healthy turnout of 44.36 per cent after recording single-digit polling percentages in the past couple of decades.

"The Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency witnessed a record voter turnout since parliamentary polls were first held here in 1967," Pole told reporters at the end of polling.

The previous highest voter turnout in the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency was witnessed in 1984 at 58.90 percent.

This year, it was 59 percent, Pole said. The constituency has 17,37,865 registered voters and there are 22 candidates in the fray.

The official said that the figures were likely to undergo an upward revision as there were voters still waiting for their turn at some polling stations after the stipulated 6 pm deadline.

Besides the highest voter turnout, Pole said the constituency created another record by having a zero-violence polling day.

"The people have proved that they have faith in democracy and they can achieve sustainable development only through voting in the polls," he added.

Pole said there were attempts by terrorists a couple of days back to vitiate the atmosphere by carrying out attacks but those incidents did not have any impact on the voter turnout.

An official of the election department said polling went on smoothly across the Lok Sabha constituency which comprises 18 assembly segments and is spread over the four districts of Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara and Budgam.

Giving out assembly segment-wise polling data, Pole said the Handwara segment in Kupwara district recorded the highest turnout at 67.50 percent while Gurez recorded the lowest at 40.82 percent.

Among the other assembly segments, Langate recorded a turnout of 66 percent, Sonawari 64.61 percent, Karnah 61.53 percent, Trehgam 61.17 percent, Uri 60.27 percent, Bandipora 60.24 percent, Beerwah 56.63 percent, Budgam 51.76 percent, Gulmarg 58.50 percent, Kupwara 58.90 percent, Lolab 58 percent, Pattan 59.87 percent, Rafiabad 57.39 percent, Baramulla 49.34 percent and Wagoor-Kreeri 49.79 percent.

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah, People's Conference president Sajad Gani Lone and jailed head of Awami Ittehad Party Sheikh Abdul Rashid alias Engineer Rashid are among the key candidates in the fray for the seat.