Jammu districts hit by terror attacks see around 70% voting

Poonch district’s Surankote Assembly constituency, where four soldiers were killed in a terrorist ambush in December 2023, recorded 72.18 per cent polling. Almost all voters in the Topa Pir village cast their vote. Three residents of that village had been picked up by Army troops after the attack and died during questioning.

The adjoining Thanamandi assembly constituency’s Pangai village — from which five civilians were picked up for questioning into the Topa Pir attack and allegedly tortured — too came out in large numbers. The ST reserved constituency registered 68.44 per cent polling.

Over 69 per cent people voted in the Reasi assembly constituency, where terrorists ambushed a Katra-bound bus carrying pilgrims killing nine people and injuring 33 others in June.

Officials said polling was incident free. There were long queues throughout the day, even in the border constituencies of Kalakote-Sunderbani, Nowhera, Mendhar and Poonch — which fall on the traditional infiltration route.

With elections being held in J&K after a period of ten years, the enthusiasm to have their own elected government drew people to the polling stations in huge numbers, said Mohammad Hussain, a local resident of Khari Karmara village situated along the Line of Control in Poonch. “We have numerous issues including water and electricity and need a local representative who can listen to us and get our problems solved from the government,” he said.

Similarly, in Mendhar’s Balakote village, Basharat Hussain said that through these elections, people would at least get someone whom they can approach for redressal of their grievances like repair of roads, improvement in health and education facilities etc.

The Poonch Haveli constituency registered 72.71 per cent polling, Mendhar (69.67 per cent), Nowshera (69 per cent) and Kalakote-Sunderbani (66.37 percent).

The polling was brisk even in Rajouri’s Dangri village where terrorists had killed seven civilians and injured scores of others in back to back twin attacks on January 1-2, 2023. “To cast a vote is our fundamental right and one must exercise it to elect a government of one’s choice,” said Dangri’s Sarpanch Dheeraj Sharma.

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With the deployment of additional security forces, the authorities had made adequate arrangements to ensure a secure atmosphere at all the places, sources said.

Since 2021, nearly 33 Army personnel and over a dozen terrorists have been killed at different places in Rajouri and Poonch districts. Nineteen soldiers and ten civilians died in 2023 alone.