: People who kept "hisab-kitab" (accounts) and acted as eyes and ears of the "enemy" in the past took part in the electoral process this time as the Jammu and Kashmir administration and the police ensured a safe space free from external threats, DGP Rashmi Ranjan Swain said. This year's Lok Sabha election saw a remarkable voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir which signalled a shift in the region's political landscape, Swain told PTI, highlighting a newfound sense of freedom from fear among the people. In the first major electoral battle in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union territories in August 2019, the three Lok Sabha seats in the Valley -- Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri -- recorded their highest-ever voter turnouts in the last three decades.
Director General of Police (DGP) Swain commended the security forces for their efforts in monitoring potential threats from external elements particularly "proxies of Pakistan" who intended to disrupt the democratic process. Speaking to PTI after the completion of the poll process, Swain stressed the positive impact of the high voter turnout and said "I, my colleagues in J&K Police and the wider administration of J&K's UT government, see it as an enabling environment where you have freed the people from fear." He also drew attention to the campaigning activities that were held in the middle of the night, besides roadshows and door-to-door campaigns conduc.
