Abid Bashir
Srinagar, Oct 2: Expressing gratitude to the people of J&K, especially Kashmir for coming out in record numbers to exercise the franchise in the just concluded Assembly polls held after a decade, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Wednesday said people of Kashmir have understood the power of vote and futility of gun.
Speaking to a gathering at Raj Bhawan on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi (father of nation), the Lt Governor said that historic voter turnout was witnessed in the Assembly polls as they were held peacefully across the UT.
“The candidates of political parties were engaged in political rallies and road shows till midnight. Great enthusiasm was seen among candidates as well as voters,” the Lt Governor said.
He said that 1.40 crore people showed their great interest in strengthening the democracy in J&K by coming out to vote in record numbers. “The youth deserve all the credit as they voted in huge numbers. In this election, people showed that they no longer believe in guns and stones and rather they want to use vote as a tool to get their demands fulfilled,” the Lt Governor said.
Urging the youth to follow the footsteps of Gandhiji, the Lt Governor said that would be the best tribute to the father of the nation. “Now it’s the duty of the youth to keep this peace intact and contribute towards pushing J&K to achieve new heights,” the Lt Governor said.
He said some people continue to misguide youth and it’s the duty of the new generation to defeat such people and their designs. “They are the people who can’t digest peace and want to keep the pot boiling,” the LG said adding that “Its for the youth to defeat such forces as they aren’t able to digest peace in J&K.”
