Lower Qaziabad breaks boycott shackles

Kupwara, Oct 1: Lower Qaziabad in Langate which has a history of boycotting elections Tuesday broke the shackles and people here came out in good numbers to exercise their franchise.

A local from Yaroo said that his village is at a walking distance from Tehsil headquarters Langate but it lags in all basic amenities, resulting in hardships to the inhabitants.

“I have never taken part in the electoral process before but the miseries of our villagers forced me to cast a vote. We have been deprived and discriminated by the successive dispensations on the pretext of boycotting elections, so I decided to break the shackles,” Sajad Ahmad said.

As compared to Upper Qaziabad, the villages which include Yaroo, Udipora, Ganapora, Soper Naghama, Mandigam, Sahipora, Palpora, Khahipora, Kachloo, Wangam in Lower Qaziabad have shown the least interest in exercising their franchise but the scenes were different today.

Notably, the least number of people from Lower Qaziabad would cast their votes but this time people came out in good numbers to exercise their franchise.

Azad Ahmad Bhat of Yaroo told Greater Kashmir that the people in his area would never take interest in exercising their franchise but this time people in large numbers did turn up to the polling station and cast their vote.

“I believe people here have now understood the importance of their vote and most importantly youth have taken much interest in this election which otherwise would not be the scene,” he said.

Of a total of 1100 votes, over 700 were polled in Yaroo itself which tells about the shift of people towards strengthening democracy.