THE HINDU ONLINE

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah yesterday said the low voter turnout in Srinagar district during the second phase of voting for Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls was perhaps a people’s reaction to the Centre trying to project normalcy in the Union Territory.

His remarks came after the second phase of polling on Wednesday saw a voter turnout of over 56 percent while the first phase held on September 18 saw an estimated 61.38 percent voter turnout.

“To be honest, I was expecting higher turnout because there was no boycott call, there were attacks, there were no threats or intimidation of the voters. I feel the Centre is also responsible for this. They tried to present the high voter turnout as signs of normalcy and as if the people had accepted revocation of Article 370. Maybe this was a reaction from Srinagar because people of Srinagar do not want to send wrong signals,” Abdullah told reporters.