People in Budgam vote for development, basic amenities

Srinagar, Nov 11: Amid a cold and foggy Tuesday morning, voters across the Budgam Assembly constituency turned out in significant numbers to cast their ballots, many driven by hope for long-promised development and basic amenities.

The bypolls in Budgam were held after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had won from both Budgam and Ganderbal in the last Assembly elections, chose to retain the latter seat.

From early morning, voters queued outside polling stations across the constituency, their faces reflecting a mix of determination and disillusionment.

“It’s not the first time I’ve voted. I’ve been doing it for decades, only to be disappointed every time,” said an elderly resident of Soibug. “But despite being deceived, we come again with new hope. The problem is, leaders vanish once they win.”

Several other voters at Soibug echoed the sentiment, saying promises of development and better living conditions had remained unfulfilled for years. “Before every election, we are assured of change, but those promises fade soon after results are declared,” said another voter.

A woman in her 60s, waiting outside the polling station, said her village still lacked proper drinking water and other basic facilities. “I came to vote again, hoping this time we will get water supply and our youth will get jobs,” she said.

Many residents expressed frustration over years of neglect, saying their area had remained outside the development radar. “Our representatives have only brought us suffering. This time, we want someone who can truly understand our pain,” said Shabir Ahmad, a voter from Budgam.

Interestingly, some elderly voters said they had returned to the polling booths after decades. “I stopped voting after 1992,” said one man with a wry smile. “I’m voting again, expecting that maybe this time our mud houses might turn into golden ones.”

Polling began at 7 AM. across 173 polling stations, all categorized as critical by the authorities, and continued till 6 p.m. As many as 1.26 lakh voters were registered in the constituency.

A total of 17 candidates were in the fray, including Aga Syed Mehmood of the National Conference, Aga Muntazir of the PDP, Syed Mohsin of the BJP, Nazir Ahmad Khan of the Awami Ittihad Party, Deeba Khan of the Aam Aadmi Party, and Muntazir Mohiuddin as an independent.