7.13% Voter Turnout Recorded in Srinagar-Budgam Repolling
Repolling in Srinagar was ordered by the Election Commission after violence erupted in the constituency on Sunday.
- 7.13% voter turnout recorded in Srinagar-Budgam
- 709 votes cast in Kashmir by-election
- EC ordered repolling for Srinagar’s Lok Sabha seat after violence in the constituency on 9 April
- 8 civilians were killed after security forces fired at protesters
Overall Turnout 7.13% in Srinagar- Budgam Repolling
Chief election officer of J&K has said total 709 people voted in Srinagar and Budgam repolls taking the overall turnout to around 7.13%.
Lowest Turnout in History of Kashmir
Reacting to the dismal voter turnout in Budgam, the Chief of the state’s election commission revealed that the poll figures are the lowest in J&K’s history, reports NDTV.
2.02% Voter Turnout Recorded in Budgam Repolling till 5 PM
The voter turnout in Budgam repolls stood at 2.02 percent by 5 PM.
Earlier, officials said only 344 voters of the 34,169 eligible persons cast their votes across all polling stations till 10 am.
No votes were polled in Budgam and Khansahib assembly segments while only two votes were polled in Chrar-e-Sharief segment of the Lok Sabha constituency in the corresponding period, they said.
Chadoora, which was worst hit by violence during Sunday's polling, recorded 200 votes while Beerwah assembly segment saw 142 people turn up to vote, the officials said.
Seven Candidates to Boycott Repoll
Seven candidates will be boycotting the repoll in Srinagar on Thursday, said The Hindu report.
Rashtriya Jankranti Party (RJP) leader Mirza Sajjad urged voters to “not cast their votes” as “it’s not an election, but selection”. He went on to condemn the civilian killings on 9 April.
After violence marred the polling for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat on 9 April, a repoll was ordered by the Election Commission, which began at 38 voting stations on Thursday morning.
The stations are located in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, the worst-hit by violence on Sunday. Seven of the eight deaths in security forces firing during the polling took place in Budgam district.
Adequate arrangements of security and videography have been made for repolling at the stations.
The district administration has imposed restrictions under Section 144 CrPc in the entire Budgam district, except in the areas where polling is taking place.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) J-K, Shantmanu reviewed the arrangements for the repoll at a high-level meeting convened on Wednesday.
Only 7.14 percent of the 12.61 lakh electorate cast their votes during the polling for by-election to Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency on Sunday amidst large scale protests and violence around polling stations at dozens of places across the constituency.
Join The Quint on WhatsApp. Type “JOIN” and send to 9910181818.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)