After Jammu and Kashmir recorded a high voting turnout of 54.46 percent in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while attributing the successful polling in the Union Territory to Prime Minister Modi-led government’s Kashmir policy, said that even separatists voted “overwhelmingly”. Shah further assured that after the Lok Sabha polling, the Centre will work towards conducting assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir before September 30.


In an interview to news agency PTI, Shah said, "Once the elections are over, the government will start the process of restoring statehood to the Union Territory." 


Adding that everything was being carried out as per the government's plan, Shah stressed: “I have said in Parliament that we will give the statehood after the assembly elections.”


“We have completed the delimitation process. Because the reservation can be given only after the delimitation process is completed. Because we have to know about the status of various castes (to give reservation). That has been done. Lok Sabha election is also over (in Jammu and Kashmir). Next is the assembly election which will also be held. We will complete the process before the Supreme Court deadline,” the Union Home Minister said.


The Supreme Court, on December 11, 2023, had directed the Election Commission of India to ensure elections in Jammu and Kashmir are conducted by September 30, 2024.


Shah stated that he believed that there was a change in the attitudes of voters in Jammu and Kashmir, as he commented on the relatively high polling percentage in the Kashmir valley in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.


'Big Victory For Democracy': Amit Shah On J-K Polling


“Voting percentage has increased. Some people used to say that people of the valley do not believe in the Indian Constitution. But this election was held under the Indian Constitution because Kashmir's Constitution is no longer there. It was scrapped. Election was held under Indian Constitution. People who sought a separate country, those who want to go with Pakistan -- even they cast their votes overwhelmingly, both at the organisation level as well as individual people,” he said.


Underlining the reason behind the successful polling turnout in the valley, Shah said: “It was a very big victory for the democracy and a big success of the Narendra Modi government's Kashmir policy, which it has been pursuing for the last 10 years.”  


All three seats in the Kashmir valley including Srinagar (38.49 per cent), Baramulla (59.1 per cent), and Anantnag-Rajouri (53 per cent), recorded the highest voter turnout after many decades, the poll body said on Saturday.


On being asked why the saffron party did not field any candidate in the Kashmir valley, Shah stated the BJP was still working on strengthening its organisation in the valley.


“We will definitely put up our candidates in future. Our organisation is getting expanded and our organisation is under process of strengthening,” he added.


'Merger With PoK Part Of BJP's Manifesto': Amit Shah 


Responding to a question on the possibility of Pakistan-occuped Kashmir's (PoK) merger with Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Home Minister stated that it is his personal belief that PoK could have been part of India in 1947-48. However, due to the premature ceasefire by the Jawaharlal Nehru government in the first war with Pakistan over the region, it got away from India, PTI reported Shah as saying.


Pointing out that merger with PoK is a part of BJP's manifesto and that it can only be decided upon after serious discussions, Shah stresed that PoK would have been with India, "had the ceasefire been declared four days later".


“Besides, there was a Parliamentary resolution on it ... unanimous resolution. The Congress party may not realise that they have also voted for it,” he said. 


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