Mehbooba’s ‘home turf deserted’, below 50% turnout recorded at PS no 63 Baba Mohalla till 05:30 PM

JK News Live

Srinagar, May 25: At the polling booth where Mehbooba Mufti, the candidate for Anantnag-Rajouri seat as well as the former chief minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State, cast her vote on Saturday, the voter turnout at the booth till 05:50 PM was below 50 per cent as the majority of the voters preferred to stay away from exercising their franchise.

According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the polling booth set up at Islamia Higher Secondary School in Bijbehara witnessed below 50 per cent till the late afternoon hours, which otherwise was anticipated to record a massive turnout amidst the massive public participation during the poll campaigning.

Mehbooba, who earlier staged a protest against the alleged detention of her party workers ahead of the polls, cast her vote at the polling booth number63 Baba Mohalla, Bijbehara for 45-Srigufwara Bijbehara Assembly Segment at around 12 o’clock.

However, as per the details collected from the Presiding Officer only 163 votes including 77 males and 86 females, out of total 363 including four polling officers were cast till 05:50 PM.

Najam-us-Saqib, PDP spokesman, who was present at the polling booth, however, told KNO that the percentage could have crossed 60 per cent, if the detentions had not taken place.

“The people, especially the youngsters couldn’t participate in the democratic exercise after many youth were detained from their houses and even from the polling booths as well,” he said.

Pertinently, the sixth phase of ongoing Lok Sabha elections culminated on Saturday, marking an end to the polling in Jammu and Kashmir. The counting of votes will take place on June 4—(KNO)

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Irshad Hussain

Irshad Hussain is an independent journalist based in Kashmir. He covers human rights, insurgency, environment and business. He holds masters in Convergent journalism at center university of Kashmir.