Srinagar, Prominent Kashmiri politicians, Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Dr. Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference, have interpreted the recent voter turnout in the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency as a clear sign of public discontent with the Indian government’s 2019 decision to revoke Article 370 and bifurcate the region into two union territories.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Mufti stated that the high participation rate in the polls was a direct message to Delhi, indicating the rejection of the Modi government’s policies concerning Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy and its division. “The polling conveyed a message to Delhi that the decisions made in 2019 and thereafter concerning our land, state subjects, and jobs are not acceptable to the people of [occupied] Jammu and Kashmir,” she remarked during interactions with reporters in the Islamabad-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency.
In a similar vein, Abdullah highlighted the erosion of democratic processes in the region, speaking at a workers’ convention in the Teetwal and Tangdhar areas. He criticized the post-2019 administrative changes and the delimitation process, which he argued have only added to the local populace’s distress.