Lal Chowk constituency records 30.44 pc turnout; voters seek change, progress

Srinagar, Sep 25: As the second phase of the assembly election for Jammu and Kashmir commenced, nearly 30.44 percent voter turnout was observed in the Lal Chowk assembly constituency.

In the Lal Chowk constituency, the contest for the seat is between National Conference’s Ahsaan Pardesi, People’s Democratic Party’s Zuhaib Yousuf Mir, Apni Party’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir, and Bharatiya Janata Party’s Ajad Ahmad Rather, representing four major parties.

As per the details collected by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the voter turnout has been slightly low, as expected, with a total of about 30% of voters casting their ballots.

People from all age groups, including the young, elderly, and women, cast their votes after almost a decade. At polling station Barwara-A (station 66), a total of 1343 voters were registered, of which 477 people cast their ballots by the final hour of voting. At another station in Barwara, 65-B, the total number of registered voters was 842, with nearly 315 people casting their votes. At poling station 52 A, Drugan Dalgate, a total voters count was as 601, with about 77 person cated their vote.

At one more polling station in the Lal Chowk constituency, Shivpora-A, with two stations, a total of 1397 voters were registered, of which 410 people voted. At Shivpora-B, the total voter count was 1089, and 367 people cast their ballots.

Meanwhile, other areas of the Lal Chowk constituency that saw good voter turnout include Sonwar, Dalgate, Jawahar Nagar, Gandbal, Lasjan, Shaheed Gunj, Maisuma, and Lal Chowk Chinar Bagh, among others.

As people voted after nearly a decade, long queues were notably absent, with locals coming out of their homes seeking change and voting for development. At Sonwar, Zuhaib, a young and first-time voter, expressed his excitement. “I am 21 years old, and this is the first time I am casting my vote. Emotions are high, and we are hopeful that the representative we voted for will bring change for us.”

Another voter in Maisuma, Srinagar, said she has been voting for many years and believes it’s important. “In my younger days, we used to walk long distances to cast our votes. Today, I voted for unemployment, high electricity bills, water meters, and to make our Kashmir better,” said Noora Begum, an elderly voter from Maisuma, Srinagar.