New Delhi: The Narendra Modi Government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 is showing results in the poll percentage in Jammu and Kashmir and has enhanced people’s trust in democracy, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday.
The Home Minister’s remarks came a day after about 38 per cent polling was recorded in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency where polling was held in the 4th phase of the general elections.
Srinagar recorded 14.43 per cent polling in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 25.86 per cent in 2014, 25.55 per cent in 2009 and 18.57 per cent in 2004.
“The Modi Government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 is showing results in the poll percentage as well. It has enhanced people’s trust in democracy and its roots have deepened in Jammu and Kashmir,” he wrote on ‘X’.
Shah said that through the rise in the poll percentage, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have given a befitting reply to those who opposed the abrogation of Article 370 provisions and are still advocating its restoration.
The Modi Government abrogated Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, in 2019 and bifurcated the erstwhile State into two Union Territories’ Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Meanwhile, DPAP chief Ghulam Nabi Azad Tuesday said the voter turnout in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency is not high enough to know whether the people are happy or angry with the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories in 2019.
The Srinagar constituency witnessed 37.98 per cent voting on Monday in the first Lok Sabha election in the valley since the scrapping of Article 370, with the Election Commission (EC) stating that it was the “highest turnout in decades”.
Azad said, “I had hoped that Kashmir will witness 80 to 90 per cent turnout in view of what has been happening in the past seven to eight years. Article 370 was removed, statehood was snatched. So I thought the turnout will be high, like 90 to 95 per cent.
“The increase of a few per cent hardly matters as it happens in every constituency of India. That way, we can not know whether the people are angry or happy (with the abrogation of Article 370 and snatching of statehood). It is a new thing for me,” Azad told reporters while campaigning for his party candidate in Kulgam district.
About the rise in poll percentage in the militancy-infested areas like Tral town of Pulwama, the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) president said the increase of few per cent in the turnout is normal after every election across India.
“There were some pockets affected by militancy. After 1994-95, the militancy started waning. Today the militancy is next to nothing. The areas affected by militancy also witnessed 30-40 per cent votes and the areas which were not affected, also had similar turnout,” he added.
Asked about the protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK), the former chief minister said he had sympathies with the people of Pakistan as they did not get a democratic set up like India.
“I pity the people of Pakistan as they did not get the kind of democratic Government that India has got. The generals either directly run the Government or their nominated people run the Government in Pakistan,” he added. (Agencies)

Agencies