Jammu and Kashmir experienced strong voter turnout in the first two phases of the Assembly polls, which are being held for the first time in a decade. Phase 1 saw nearly 60% turnout, while Phase 2 recorded around 70% in Jammu districts that have faced terror attacks since 2021. In contrast, the eight Assembly seats in Srinagar reported a low turnout of 29.81%, slightly up from 27.77% in the 2014 Assembly elections and 25% in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Srinagar has a history of low voter participation, with urban areas in the Kashmir Valley often boycotting both Parliament and state elections. Mainstream political parties in the region attributed the low turnout to the central government’s Kashmir policy and the lack of a “vibrant Opposition.”

Omar Abdullah, vice president of the National Conference (NC) and former Chief Minister of J&K, stated, “I believe the low turnout in Srinagar is the fault of the Central government, which equated the high polling percentages in the Lok Sabha elections with normalcy following the revocation of Article 370. The low turnout is likely a reaction to that.”

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Para, who contested from Pulwama, criticized the years-long crackdown on the PDP and the fragmentation of the Opposition, stating that these factors have dissuaded voter participation. He pointed out that areas with strong competition, like Charar-e-Sharief, Kangan, and Ganderbal, experienced better turnout.

The lowest turnout in Srinagar was recorded in Habbakadal, where only 18.39% of voters participated, down 3.92 percentage points from 2014. Among the 16 candidates, NC’s Shameema Firdous emerged as a serious contender, while the BJP’s Ashok Bhat relied on the Kashmiri Pandit vote. Historically, Habbakadal has seen low turnout, with 5.32% in the 1996 elections and only 21% in 2014.

In contrast, the Eidgah constituency, where NC’s Mubarak Gul and PDP’s Khurshid Alam are competing, saw a higher turnout of 36.95%, the highest in any Srinagar Assembly segment.

Voter apathy, rooted in decades of separatist politics, is another contributing factor to the low turnout. Some residents expressed their disinterest in elections, believing that it doesn’t matter who rules. A 52-year-old Khanyar resident, who has never voted, remarked, “For us, it doesn’t matter who is going to rule.”

Others noted that the “disempowered Assembly” lacks authority on key issues, rendering MLAs ineffective in addressing constituents’ grievances. A 32-year-old Nowhatta resident stated, “I would have voted had they continued with the alliance, but they are involved in petty politics, and people’s interests are taking a backseat.”