Budgam, Ganderbal turnout falls from 2014 polls, Srinagar voting lowest of 3 Valley dists

The Chief Electoral Officer Pandurag Pole said that 29.81percent votes were polled in Srinagar while the turnout in Ganderbal and Budgam districts was 62.51 and 62.98 percent respectively. The figures reveal that while Srinagar has seen a marginal increase from the turnout in 2014 Assembly polls, the Ganderbal and Budgam districts have seen a steep decline. In the 2014 Assembly elections, the eight seats of Srinagar district had recorded an average turnout of 27.77 percent while it was 73.11 and 67.21 percent in Ganderbal and Budgam districts respectively.

The turnout, however, has seen a marginal increase from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as traditionally more people come out to vote during the Assembly elections than parliamentary polls.

Long queues of voters could be seen across the five constituencies of the Budgam district.

Foreign diplomats witness voting at Bemina polling booth in Srinagar during Phase 2 of J&K Assembly elections, Wednesday. (Express photo by Shuaib Masoodi)

The Budgam seat is a direct contest between National Conference’s Omar Abdullah and PDP leader Aga Muntazir Mehdi.

“We have come out to vote because we want a political government. Nobody is listening to us in this set-up, we have no one to go to and no one to listen to our pleas,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a 26-year-old voter.

In Ganderbal, where Abdullah is locked in a multi-corner contest, a voter said:“There are dozens of issues of daily life that require urgent redressal. One of the first things is the high cost of electricity.”

In Srinagar, there were few long queues. While a large number of people assembled outside polling booths, discussing the elections, only some of them went inside to cast their vote.