Democratic Progressive Azad Party President Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday said that he had hoped that Srinagar will witness Ninety Percent Turnout.
Talking to reporters while campaigning for his candidate in Kulgam Azad said that he expected a voter turnout of 80 to 90 percent due to recent events over the past seven to eight years.
He referred to the removal of Article 370 and the revocation of statehood, which led him to believe the turnout could be as high as 90 to 95 percent.
He said that slight increase in voter turnout is common across all constituencies in India and doesn’t indicate whether people are happy or angry about the removal of Article 370 and the loss of statehood.
He said that the voter turnout in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency is not high enough to determine whether people are happy or angry about the abrogation of Article 370 and the division of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories in 2019.
Regarding the increase in voter turnout in militancy-affected areas like Tral in Pulwama, Azad said that a small increase in turnout is normal after every election across India.
There were some militancy-affected areas, but since 1994-95, militancy has significantly declined. Today, militancy is almost nonexistent. Both militancy-affected and unaffected areas saw a voter turnout of 30-40 percent, he added.
When asked about the protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), the former chief minister expressed sympathy for the people of Pakistan, saying they lack a democratic system like India.
“I feel sorry for the people of Pakistan because they haven’t experienced the kind of democratic government that India has. In Pakistan, the generals either directly govern or appoint those who do,” he added.(KNS)
