Rustam
JAMMU, Apr 18: The people across the nation are participating in the ongoing electoral exercise in large numbers and with great enthusiasm. Everywhere the voter turnout is huge. They are exercising their right to vote to elect representatives through whom they want themselves to be represented in the Lok Sabha, the highest law-making body in the country. The story of the people of Jammu province, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians is no different. They participated in the electoral exercise on April 10 in large numbers and broke all the previous records. There was no violence anywhere. In other words, it was a peaceful exercise. The voter turnout was over 70 per cent. 13,05,078 voters out of a total of 18,48,553 electorate in this constituency exercised their franchise. In 2009, only 49 per cent of the voters in the Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary constituency had participated in the general election. The jump in the polling percentage was a whopping 21 per cent, the highest in the country. In other states, the jump in the voting percentage range between 5 to 15 per cent.
On April 17, the people of Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary constituency also broke all the previous records to display their faith in the Indian political system and demonstrate that they are part of the national mainstream and have nothing to do with the ongoing separatist movement in the Valley and with those who have been carrying on poll boycott campaign in the Valley. Around 72 per cent of the eligible voters in this constituency exercised their franchise.
To be more exact, 10.43 lakh voters out off a total of 14.55 lakh voters voted to elect their representative. It was also a peaceful exercise. The jump in the polling percentage was around 29, eight per cent more than that of Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary constituency. Three other very significant highlights were: One, the number of votes polled in the Rmban, Doda and Kishtwar districts was almost equal to the number of voters who exercised their right to vote in Kathua district alone. To be more precise, 3,10,338 voters out of a total of 4,24,966 voters in Kathua district exercised their right to vote and the total number of voters who exercised their franchise in the Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts was 3,35,521 - an insignificant difference of nearly 25,000 votes. These figures explain many things and the most important point in this regard to be noted is that the voting percentage in Kathua district will determine the fate of the Congress and the BJP candidates. Two, the highest turnout was in Gulabgarh Assembly segment in Reasi district and the lowest in Banihal Assembly segment in Ramban district. It was 84 per cent in Gulabgarh and 61.49 per cent in Banihal. Three, the highest number of votes in an Assembly segment were polled in Kathua main. The number was 91,384. The people of Jammu province need to be hailed by one and all in the state and the country as a whole, as they are showing the nation the way.
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