The voter turnout in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections has increased significantly but the number of aspiring lawmakers dipped substantially compared to 2008 Assembly polls when a record 1,344 candidates tried their luck on 87 constituencies.
The number of candidates this year has dropped by nearly 39% compared to the polls held in 2008. According to the data provided by the state election authorities, 1,344 candidates contested the 2008 Assembly elections to the 87-member House but the number this year fell to 821.
The number of Independent candidates fell by more than 46% from 513 in 2008 to 276 this year. While the Independents constituted more than 36% of the total candidates in 2008, only four (around five%) of them were successful.
The state Assembly elections in 2008 were held in the backdrop of Amarnath Land row agitation that led to the fall of Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Congress-PDP coalition government and polarised the state polity on regional and religious lines.
Coming close on the heels of the killing of more than 60 persons across the state -- most of the death took place in the Valley, the voter turnout was expected to take a dip.
However, not only did the voter turnout showed an upward swing, the number of candidates who contested the polls became a state record.
