LS polls: Youngsters have major share

Unlike the previous years, Jammu and Kashmir has seen a drastic change during the recently held Lok Sabha elections in the Union Territory as for the first time; it would be the youngsters, who are going to decide the fate of the candidates on all the five seats here. The 18th Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a massive turnout of youngsters in all the five constituencies including Baramulla, Srinagar, Anantnag-Rajouri and two in Jammu division. In Baramulla, a total of 56.02 per cent of the electorate in the age group of 18-39 years cast their ballots in the 18th Lok Sabha polls on May 20 while 30.85 voters were falling in the age group of 40-59 years. According to the data, only 13.13 per cent of electors who voted in the constituency were falling in the age group of 60 years or above. In the other constituencies, the youngsters have a major share to put the graph of the voter turnout up in this election. Srinagar has recorded 48.57 per cent votes from the people falling in the age group of 18-39 years while 34.87 per cent were falling in the age group of 40-59 and 16.56 per cent in 60 years or above. Similarly, Anantnag-Rajouri seat recorded a young voter turnout of 54.41 per cent while the electorates falling in the age group of 40-59 and 60 years or above were 31.59 per cent and 14.00 per cent respectively. Therefore, the 18th Lok Sabha polls will go to the side of youngsters this time as they have the major share in the voter turnout for the first time, who otherwise used to side with the boycott and also indulged in the stone pelting especially during the election day. It is an achievement itself that the youngsters have pinned a hope on the democratic process and are shunning the path of violence.