Brisk polling in Uri, voters turn out for employment, development

Srinagar, May 20: The border constituency of Uri in the Baramulla parliamentary seat of North Kashmir witnessed brisk polling today with a large number of voters turning out to cast their ballots for employment and development.
From early morning, locals thronged the 147 polling stations across Uri, which has 1,04,701 eligible voters. The preliminary voting percentage recorded in Uri is approximately 59.07 per cent, making it one of the top constituencies in North Kashmir in terms of voter turnout.
Naveed Bakhtiyar, a social activist from Uri, told Rising Kashmir that he voted for the party he believes will ensure development for Uri and Jammu & Kashmir.
Javaid Ahmad, a voter from Kalgai Uri, highlighted the significant turnout of youth at polling booths, driven by a desire to end unemployment. “Our villages have few employment opportunities. Now, the youth are participating in the electoral process to elect a representative who will address this issue,” he noted. Ahmad expressed frustration with representatives who only return for votes every five years. “As residents of a border area, we need a representative who will truly advocate for us, especially during times of shelling. Although past governments sanctioned some bunkers, we want a better candidate representing our voices,” he added.
Iram Jan, a resident of Salamabad Uri and a first-time voter, shared her excitement about participating in this Lok Sabha election. “We voted for a candidate who will voice our concerns in the right places for concrete outcomes,” she said. Jan emphasized the need for a greater focus on education and acknowledged the development in Uri, including the flourishing tourism sector. “I express my gratitude for the progress, but I wish for more development. We voted for the candidate who will take our voice to Parliament and address our issues. I was in Srinagar, but I returned yesterday just to vote here, which I wasn’t going to miss,” she added.