Omar Abdullah, Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference and candidate from the Ganderbal-Budgam Assembly constituency, expressed, 'I expected a much higher voter turnout, as there were no calls for boycotts, no attacks, and no attempts to intimidate or suppress voters. However, I believe the central government is somewhat to blame for this situation. They tried to normalize low voter turnout in various places, suggesting that if people are participating in the elections, it means they are happy with the abrogation of Article 370. The central government also made another mistake by bringing in a team of diplomats. The people of Srinagar did not want to be used in this manner, which resulted in a lower turnout. Still, I am grateful to those who did vote.'