Pulwama, Shopian see high voter turnout post abrogation of Article 370

After the conclusion of the Jammu and Kashmir Block Development elections that were held on Thursday and the results being declared in the evening, the J&K Electoral Officer, Shailendra Kumar held a press conference where he stated that as per the data received by the authorities, the highest turnout of 100% and Pulwama and Shopian's turnout was at 86% and 85%. He also added that the security deployment was the same as that of the Lok Sabha election, and no additional security was deployed. 

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Prior to abrogation of Article 370

Prior to the abrogation of Article 370, the voter turnout at during the fifth phase of Parliamentary elections which was underway on May 6 was abysmal, as violence flared up in Kashmir's Pulwama as a grenade was hurled at a government school in the district and a petrol bomb at a polling booth. As was the situation then, even during the third and final leg of voting in Jammu and Kashmir, even stone-pelting was underway in Pulwama, with fortunately no loss of lives or injuries being reported at the time. An eerie silence descended on the streets the district hit by one of the state's worst terror attacks earlier this year, a day before the polling. The voter turnout at the time was a meagre 2.5% voters exercising their right in the third phase, the cumulative polling percentage in Anantnag constituency stood at about 9%.

The voter turnout in the Kashmir Valley was dismal, with only 2.81% voting in Shopian. A meagre voter turnout was expected in Shopian and Pulwama as the districts were the centre of militancy in the State. The recent encounter in Shopian where three militants were killed and arrest of youths may have led to a lower turnout.

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The tide is changing for better

Ever since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, the tide is changing for the better in the district with the final voter turnout in most districts of the 22 districts in Jammu and Kashmir was above 95% with the maximum in Srinagar. Further, the Jammu district electoral officer Sushma Chauhan said that there were no reports untoward incident reported from anywhere in Jammu.

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Congress, National Conference, & PDP boycott poll

The Congress, National Conference, and the PDP boycotted the first electoral exercise after the abrogation of the State's special status. The pollings began on time on Thursday and no reports of a delay from anywhere were reported. "The polling has started at all the polling stations from 0900 hours this morning. There have been no reports of a delay from anywhere," state Chief Electoral Officer Shailender Kumar told PTI. The polling was held from 9 AM-1 PM and the results would be announced on the same day. 

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