Seven Phase Elections concluded with High Turnouts
10:32 PMThe overall voting percentage in the state in the seven phases of voting was 63, poll officials calculated.
Of more than 4.8 million eligible voters, over three million voters cast their ballot, the officials said.
Despite sporadic incidents of violence during the more than one-month-long exercise, the conduct of polls was by and large peaceful in the troubled state, wrought by years of separatist violence since 1989.
The first phase held Nov 17 saw 64 percent of electorate exercising their franchise. The polling in 10 constituencies in the Muslim dominated Kashmir Valley, the Hindu majority Jammu region and the mainly Buddhist Ladakh proved a turning point for other parts of the region vying for peace and development.
The second round Nov 23 saw even a higher turnout. It was 65 percent in two constituencies of the Kashmir Valley and four in the Jammu region.
In a state that has so often resounded with cries of "freedom", the sentiment during the elections, analysts say, was one of longing for better quality of life.
"Issues of road connectivity, schools, water and electricity drew voters to the ballot box," said Bashir Manzar, editor of an English daily here.
The third phase recorded a voting of 62 percent in the five constituencies, which went to polls Nov 30. Fifty-five percent of the electorate voted Dec 7 in the fourth phase of the elections.
The fifth phase Dec 13, which saw some violence and the killing of an anti-poll protester, witnessed 59 percent of the electorate participating in the exercise.
The sixth and penultimate round of balloting Dec 17 ended peacefully with about 63 percent of the electorate turning out to vote.
And in the last phase of elections Wednesday, the people in Jammu and Kashmir again defied Muslim separatists' boycott call and turned out in large numbers even in Srinagar - the urban hub of the secessionist movement.
At least 52 percent voting was recorded in 21 constituencies that went to polls in the last crucial round of balloting.
The summer capital Srinagar recorded its highest voting percentage of 20 in the last 19 years, officials said.
"I am voting for the first time and my need is a government job. I have no other consideration and I hope my vote helps the candidate who gets me a job after winning the elections," said Showkat Ahmad, 18. He was standing in a queue outside the Dhobighat polling booth in Hazratbal, Srinagar.
The voting was overshadowed by heightened tension between India and Pakistan after last month's Mumbai attacks.
But that didn't deter people from expressing their longing for peace and confidence in democratic process, said Governor N.N. Vohra on the "successful" conclusion of the exercise.
In the border areas of the region as well, people came out in large numbers to vote for "peace" at the time of escalation of tension between two nuclear-armed neighbours.
"We do want strong action against terrorists, but that should not be at our cost," Ujjagar Singh, a resident of the border village of Satrian, told IANS.
The election results will be declared Dec 28. The main contest is between the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
e-voting! some ideas
1:57 AMASSEMBLY ELECTIONS in several states have been announced. Very soon India will go in general elections to elect its 15th Lok Sabha. In the past several elections, voting percentage has been the concern of those who want India to become a better democracy.
Higher voting percentage will indicate greater participation of citizen in the democratic process and thus enhance the strength of democracy. Thus all of us, who feel strongly about democratic traditions, must come forward and ensure greater voter turnout.
One of the problems in the way of higher voter turnout is the problem of immigrant population.
A large number of people work for central and state governments, private sector and thus have to live away from their home town where they are enrolled as voters. Some of them even get enrolled as voters in the towns where they are working but they don’t vote because they don’t feel a sense of belonging as they cannot identify with the politics and problems of that place.
Often state and central government employees working for elections outside their state are unable to vote as their names are not listed in the voters’ list. By enabling such people to vote will hike the voting percentage and subsequently create larger participation of people in the political process.
I think for this we should use a new system of voting.
- The system will use National Informatics Centers (NIC) as voting centers. NIC has its offices in every district of the country and it may be opened at every place which is not a district headquarters but has a good number of immigrant populations.
- Every Person who wants to vote for her/his constituency back home will apply at NIC office in area she/he is living, with his electoral voter identity card (EPIC) and thus will be registered at the place. His/her name will be omitted from voter list to be used at election day of her/his poling booth back home.
- As soon as final list of candidates of the particular constituency is prepared, it will be loaded on election commission website with a layout for voting.
- Those who are registered at an NIC office will visit the same carrying their EPIC and directed to a computer where they can vote for their constituency. A copy of their EPIC and a photo taken by the web cam while using computer will be saved and loaded on the website.
- The system will use a password created by voter to vote so as to prevent bogus voting.
- Data of such votes will be available for the use of concerned election office back home for finalizing election results.Such voting can be done after list of candidates are loaded on website to the day of counting in the concerned constituency.
- Even those who are living in their constituencies may be offered the facility of early and late voting. Such voting may be offered between the time of final list of candidates are prepared and day of counting, barring five days around the voting day. Such voting must be stopped two days ahead of voting day and those who had already voted will be marked in voter lists to be sent to polling booth and resumed once polling data of polling day reaches NIC offices.
This System may have some problems but I am sure once officials and civil society starts looking into this system, we may get a wonderful system of electronic voting which will ensure greater participation and stringer democracy.
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