Congress Leader Pramod Tiwari Says High Voter Turnout in Jammu and Kashmir Shows Anger Against Union Territory Status
Congress leader Pramod Tiwari claimed that the high voter turnout in the first phase of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir was an expression of anger against the Centre’s decision to make it a Union Territory temporarily. He stated, ‘The poll percentage was a clear expression of anger against the snatching away of statehood. Voting was done in favour of Congress and National Conference. Congress promises that when we come to power, our first and top priority would be to restore the statehood.’
He criticized the BJP for increasing the powers of Jammu and Kashmir’s Lt Governor. Congress and National Conference are contesting the assembly polls together. The BJP-led government had revoked Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, creating two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The Centre has said that statehood will be restored to Jammu and Kashmir.
A voter turnout of 61.13% was registered in the first phase polling in Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, which were held in 24 constituencies across seven districts. Kishtwar district recorded the highest turnout at 80.14%, followed by Ramban at 70.55%, Doda at 71.34%, Kulgam at 62.60%, Anantnag at 57.84%, and Shopian at 55.96%. Pulwama district recorded the lowest turnout at 46.65%.
Doubts Revealed
Congress Leader -: A Congress Leader is a person who is part of the Congress party, one of the major political parties in India.
Pramod Tiwari -: Pramod Tiwari is a politician from the Congress party in India.
Voter Turnout -: Voter Turnout means the number of people who come to vote in an election.
Jammu and Kashmir -: Jammu and Kashmir is a region in northern India, which used to be a state but is now a Union Territory.
Union Territory -: A Union Territory is a region in India that is directly governed by the Central Government, unlike states which have their own governments.
Centre -: Centre refers to the Central Government of India, which makes decisions for the whole country.
Statehood -: Statehood means having the status of a state, which has its own government and more autonomy compared to a Union Territory.
Assembly Polls -: Assembly Polls are elections where people vote to choose their representatives in the state or Union Territory government.
Article 370 -: Article 370 was a special law that gave Jammu and Kashmir more autonomy than other states in India. It was removed in August 2019.
BJP-led government -: BJP-led government means the government is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is another major political party in India.
