Rising voter turnout shows decline of dynastic politics in Valley: Jitendra Singh

New Delhi, May 20

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said the rise in voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir is indicative of declining dynastic politics in the Kashmir Valley. Polling for five Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir were held in five phases.

Voting was held in Udhampur constituency on April 19, Jammu on April 26, Anantnag-Rajouri on May 7 and in Srinagar on May 13. The Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency, which went to polls on Monday, recorded an all-time high voter turnout of 59 per cent.

In all phases, a significant voter turnout has been noticed, the minister said, adding that an encouraging turnout of voters was witnessed during voting in Baramulla.

Singh said it is a remarkable departure from the times when the people of the Kashmir Valley were constrained to elect their representatives for Lok Sabha and Assembly with a voter turnout of hardly 10 per cent or even less than that.

The Union minister of state for personnel accused Kashmir’s “dynastic political parties” of not allowing true democracy to usher in the Valley.

“For over three decades, elections were held in the shadow of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. It suited the dynastic regional parties of the Kashmir Valley to get these elections conducted with a limited voter turnout under the fear of guns and manage a majority for themselves,” he said.

Singh claimed these political parties then allowed terrorism to continue indefinitely “so that their family rule could thrive from generation to generation”.

“But now time has changed. Rising voter turnout is indicative of declining dynasty politics in the Kashmir valley,” he added.