JAN AAS TIMES | New Delhi
NEW DELHI: For the first time, elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being held under global spotlight, with senior diplomats from 16 countries invited to observe voting at polling stations in the Union territory. The international observers on Wednesday voiced their validation of the polls, with the US diplomat describing them as “very healthy and very democratic” and the Singapore representative calling them “comparable” to elections in her country.
“It is great to see the enthusiasm… to see Kashmiris voting after a pause of 10 years. We are very excited to see the results… It looks very healthy and very democratic,” US deputy chief of the mission in Delhi, Jorgan K Andrews, was quoted by PTI as saying.
“I am glad that all the voters showed up. That’s wonderful to see,” said Singapore deputy head of the mission in Delhi, Cheng Wei Wei Alice. South Korean diplomat Sang Woo Lim said it was special to witness how democracy works and appreciated the idea of all-women ‘pink polling stations’.
On the invitation of the external affairs ministry, senior diplomats from the US, South Korea, Spain, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Norway, Nigeria, Tanzania, the Philippines, Guyana, Somalia, Panama, Rwanda and Algeria toured polling stations in Ompora (Budgam) and Amira Kadal and S P College, Chinar Bagh, which falls in Lal Chowk assembly constituency. These polling stations had recorded very low turnouts in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
With a 61.4% turnout in Phase 1 and over 57% (provisional) in Phase 2, chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday described the J&K elections as “history in the making”. He told reporters here, “The people of J&K are standing in long queues outside polling booths at places where boycott calls were once given. It is a standing ovation for democracy..It is history in the making, echoes of which will be heard for posterity.”
Wednesday’s overall turnout was higher as compared to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls (52.2%) but lower than the 61.8% turnout recorded in the 2014 assembly polls in the same districts. Turnouts were higher across the Valley’s Budgam, Ganderbal and Srinagar districts as compared to 2024 LS polls, but significantly lower in Ganderbal and Budgam, when compared with the 2014 assembly polls. Though Srinagar district recorded a low turnout of around 29.8% (provisional), it is better than the 24.8% and 27.7% polling recorded in both 2024 LS elections and 2014 J&K polls respectively.
In Jammu division, all three districts — Reasi, Rajouri and Poonch — recorded lower turnouts than the 2014 assembly polls. Polling in Rajouri and Poonch was better than in 2024 LS elections, but slightly lower in Reasi. While Reasi, where the decline was the sharpest since 2014, had seen a major terror attack in June with nine persons killed after terrorists fired on a bus, Rajouri and Poonch have seen fierce encounters between the security forces and terrorists in the recent months.
Both US diplomat Andrews and Alice from Singapore on Wednesday said the J&K polls were similar to those in their respective countries, with the US using schools and Singapore, government buildings, for polling stations.
South Korean diplomat Lim said: “It is my first time here in Kashmir. It is special to witness how democracy works. This idea of a pink polling station is very ingenuous. It is a great way to attract more people to come and vote”.
