NEW DELHI: The security situation in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has significantly improved since the last assembly elections, with terror-related incidents this year dropping to just one-tenth of the levels recorded in 2014. This reduction has contributed to higher voter turnout in many areas of the Kashmir region, according to sources within the J&K administration. This is particularly noteworthy as these are the first assembly polls held in J&K since the revocation of Article 370 and the region’s reorganization into a Union Territory in 2019.
However, voter turnout has decreased in all but one district of the Jammu division, where polling has concluded, compared to December 2014. Of the 13 districts in J&K that participated in the first two phases of voting on September 18 and 25, eight saw average turnouts lower than those in the 2014 assembly elections. Among these, five districts are in the Jammu region, while three are in the Kashmir Valley.
In Jammu, only one of the six districts where polling has occurred showed an increase in voter turnout compared to 2014, while four out of seven districts in Kashmir experienced a rise. A comparison with the 2024 Lok Sabha polls indicates that all but one district, Reasi in the Jammu region, saw lower turnout rates in the current elections.
Reasi was the site of the largest terror attack this year in July, when terrorists opened fire on a bus, killing eight passengers and the driver. Recent months have also seen multiple casualties among security forces due to encounters with terrorists in Poonch and Rajouri.
Overall, terror incidents in J&K have decreased from 222 in 2014 to just 23 this year, with 15 reported in the Jammu region and 8 in Kashmir. Security forces fatalities have fallen to 25, with 17 in Jammu, down from 47 in 2014. Civilian deaths have also decreased, from 28 in 2014 to 16 in 2024 (11 in Jammu and 5 in the Valley).
This year, 45 terrorists have been killed, compared to 110 in 2014. Of those, 35 were neutralized in Kashmir—18 foreign and 17 local terrorists—while 10 were eliminated in Jammu.
In contrast to 2014, which saw 23 grenade attacks, nine IED strikes, and 41 hartal calls, 2024 has reported no such incidents. A security official noted that four of the seven districts—Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, and Srinagar—once known for high levels of terrorism, performed better in terms of voter turnout compared to the 2014 assembly elections.
Both the campaign and the two polling days so far have been peaceful, with no separatist calls for boycotts. Instead, some separatists participated as candidates, and there were no disruptions like stone-pelting that typically deter voters in Kashmir, according to another official.
