NEW DELHI: The marked enchancment in safety scenario in J&Ok for the reason that final meeting elections — with terror-related incidents this 12 months right down to one-tenth of the degrees seen in 2014 — has been a serious contributory issue within the good turnouts witnessed in most elements of Kashmir area, in keeping with J&Ok administration sources. This, an official mentioned, is important as these are the primary meeting polls in J&Ok after the nullification of Article 370 and its reorganisation right into a Union Territory in 2019.
Nevertheless, polling percentages in all however one district of Jammu division, the place voting is over, have dipped sincembere 2014.A believable rationalization may very well be the latest spike in terror actions within the area, amongst different issues. Until Sept 27, 15 terror assaults and encounters had left 11 civilians and 17 safety personnel lifeless in Jammu area.
Of the 13 J&Ok districts that went to the polls within the first two phases on Sept 18 and 25, eight recorded common turnouts decrease than in 2014 meeting polls. Whereas 5 of those 13 districts are in Jammu area, three are in Kashmir Valley.
Just one among the many six Jammu districts the place polling has been performed in Part 1 and a couple of has proven an increase in voter turnout as in comparison with the 2014 polls, whereas 4 of the seven such districts in Kashmir recorded an upward pattern in polling percentages. A comparability with 2024 LS polls reveals that every one however one district — Reasi in Jammu area — witnessed a decrease turnout within the present polls.
Reasi had witnessed the largest terror assault of the 12 months in July, with firing by terrorists on a bus killing eight passengers and the bus driver. Additionally, encounters with terrorists have prompted a number of safety forces casualties in Poonch and Rajouri within the latest months.
Total, terror-related incidents in J&Ok are down from 222 in 2014 to 23 to this point this 12 months, with 15 reported in Jammu area and eight in Kashmir. Safety forces’ fatalities too have fallen to 25, of which 17 had been in Jammu area alone, from 47 in 2014, as have civilian killings from 28 in 2014 to 16 (11 in Jammu area & 5 within the Valley) in 2024.
As many as 45 terrorists had been killed this 12 months towards 110 in 2014. Of those, 35, together with 18 international terrorists and 17 native terrorists, had been neutralised in Kashmir whereas Jammu noticed the tip of 10 terrorists.
As in comparison with 2014 that noticed 23 grenade assaults, 9 IED strikes and 41 hartal calls, 2024 has witnessed zero such incidents. “4 of the seven districts — Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama and Srinagar, all as soon as terror hotbeds — fared higher when it comes to voter turnout as in comparison with 2014 meeting polls,” a safety official identified.
Even the marketing campaign and the 2 polling days to this point had been peaceable and incident-free, with no ballot boycotts referred to as by the separatists, who fairly joined the democratic train as candidates, or the standard legislation and order disruptions like stone-pelting that will hold the Kashmiri voters indoors, mentioned one other officer.
