Will Vote For Peace, Prosperity And Development, Say First Time Voters In J&K

SRINAGAR: First-time voters, who are excited to vote in Jammu and Kashmir, have said that they will vote for peace prosperity and development. Over 3.4 lakh youth who are first-time voters of Jammu and Kashmir are eligible to cast their vote in the coming elections. The Chief Election Commissioner of India, during his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, said three lakh forty thousand first-time voters will be eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Election Commission said that around 86.9 lakh voters including 44.34 lakh men and 42.55 lakh women are registered in Jammu and Kashmir. The number also included 67,400 persons with disabilities and 158 transgenders. There will be 11,629 polling stations with an average 747 voters per polling station to be set up in the Union Territory. The Election Commission said that 77,290 voters are above 85 years of age which includes 2886 being more than 100 years of age.

The first-time voters in the Valley are extremely excited about casting their votes this election. Shahzada Aiman a 20-year-old student said” There are many points that we would want to cast our vote on, main agendas remain of development, road infrastructure. The Srinagar city has become a mess due to traffic jams. 

The hospitals are also in a mess, as emergencies are always overbooked. The government schools are in a bad state, and everyone goes to private schools. There needs to be a focus on the education sector. The revenue department in the Valley is one of the most corrupt departments and there should be more transparency, And we will vote on these grounds.

Among the 3.4 lakh first-time voters, around 1.35 lakh are female first-time voters. The Election Commission also said that the electoral gender ratio of women voters has gone up as well. The number has increased from 945 in 2019 to 954 in 2024. Most of these young first-time voters are focused on candidates who assure them of development in all sectors like health and education.

“It’s after a long time we are having elections, and our population has increased and our youth are showing interest in voting. People should vote for their candidates of choice. I am very much happy that so much has changed in the last few years regarding development, and I am happy people will come out and vote for a good candidate.” Said Imaad Ahmed. 

Another college-going student who is going to cast his vote first time Angad Deep Singh said “It’s a great thing that we will get the chance to vote for the first time. We will get to choose our leader ourselves. We have seen so much development in the last few years and we are happy. We want more and more development. It will also help us in seeking employment.”

The Election Commission websites have also helped a lot of youngsters across the Union territory to know about the election system and voting. They are aware of their democratic rights and want to vote based on development and education. 

Jammu and Kashmir will be going to Parliamentary as well as Assembly elections this year. The Political parties across the Union Territory are pressuring simultaneous elections but the Election Commission is yet to take a decision.