Is This the Lowest Voter Turnout in a Jammu & Kashmir Election?

The repoll was ordered in certain areas in Budgam after widespread street protests on Sunday saw only 7.4% turnout.

Sunday’s 7.4 percent was not the lowest that Jammu and Kashmir has ever recorded. (Photo: Reuters) 

On Thursday, repolling in 38 booths for Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency saw an abysmally low turnout at 1.4 percent till 12 pm. The repoll was ordered in Chadoora, Chrar-e-Sharief, Khansahib and Beerwah areas in Budgam after widespread street protests on Sunday killed eight people and saw only 7.4 percent turnout.

That 7.4 percent was, however, not the lowest that Jammu and Kashmir has ever recorded.

This is how the numbers stacked up in the last few decades.

Also Read: “Why We Didn’t Vote in the Bypolls”: Srinagar Speaks Up

Healthy Turnout Except in 1967 and 2002

Jammu and Kashmir saw healthy turnout in all its elections except in 1967 and 2002. In only those two elections, the polling percentage was less than 50 percent. The highest ever polling percentage was recorded in 1987 with 74.88 turnout, according to Factly.

10 Constituencies Recorded Less Than 10% in 2002 Assembly Elections

Assessing the polling percentages in assembly constituencies, the 2002 Assembly election was the worst in the state’s history.

Six of the 10 constituencies in 2002 polled less than 5 percent, with the lowest turnout in Amirakadal.

Amirakadal recorded the worst polling percentage in the history of Jammu and Kashmir with just 3.06 percent. Out of the 74,442 registered voters, only 2,280 exercised their franchise.

The Congress won with 1,163 votes that year – just 1.5 percent of the total registered voters there.

(Photo: Factly)

Also Read: After Sunday’s Bloody Bypoll, Can Kashmir Hold An Election Soon?

Less Than 20% Recorded in 26 Different Constituencies

In all the assembly elections till now, less than 20 percent polling has been recorded in only 26 different constituencies in various years. Fifteen were in 2002, five in 1996 and the rest in 2008.

Less Than 30% Polling in Lok Sabha Elections on 10 Different Occasions

In five different Lok Sabha elections – 1989, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 – less than 30 percent polling was recorded.

The lowest in a Lok Sabha general election (5.07 percent) was recorded in Anantnag in 1989. In the same year, Baramulla recorded 5.48 percent. In both 2009 and 2014 elections, Srinagar and Anantnag both recorded more than 25 percent polling.

(Photo: Factly)

Also Read: Key Elections Are Near: Kashmir, Pakistan Can Wait

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