Mehroob Mushtaq & Numan Bhat
SRINAGAR: Young voters in Kashmir, voting in a democratic process for the first time, enthusiastically lined up to vote at the polling booths in Srinagar. They had expectations and hopes, but they also had worries.
“We hope our Lok Sabha candidates do not misuse our votes,” one of them said and many others echoed his sentiment.
In the fourth phase of polling for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, people including many youth in Srinagar-Pulwama constituency exercised their vote on May 13 for the first time since Article 370 revocation and downgrading of the state into two union territories.
Adil Khan, a young voter from Hawal, said that he voted for the first time, and he believes that the vote holds more power than anything else. He added that while they are voting for the first time, they hope the candidates they choose won’t misuse their votes “as has happened in the past”.
24 candidates candidates were in the fray in this constituency. However, the main contest is between Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of the National Conference (NC), Waheed ur Rehman Para of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and Mohd Ashraf Mir of the J&K Apni Party.
The Srinagar seat includes Srinagar, Ganderbal, and Pulwama districts, as well as parts of Budgam and Shopian districts. It has about 17.48 lakh voters.
Shakeel Ahmad, a first-time voter from Harwan, mentioned that he voted early Monday morning. He hopes that the new leaders from Kashmir will work on improving society, especially since Article 370 was removed. “We want candidates who will listen to us and speak for us in Parliament. But they should also value our votes,” he added, pointing out that candidates often only show up during election time.
Even though he is slightly skeptical, he knows that voting is the only way to make sure their opinions get heard in the Parliament.
In the Palpora area of Eidgah Srinagar, some first-time voters from Eidgah expressed their commitment to democracy, saying it’s their top priority given the many challenges the people of Kashmir have been facing in recent years.
Several youth spoke about the acute challenges of unemployment and lack of opportunities.
People were spotted waiting in lines outside polling stations to vote in different areas of the constituency.
Authorities had arranged 2,135 polling stations across the five districts for people to vote.
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