Nomad couple trek for hours to cast vote in J&K’s Rajouri

Rajouri/Jammu, May 25 (PTI) A nomad couple walked for hours together to exercise their democratic right in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Saturday.

Mohammad Hussain and his wife Saleema Akhter, belonging to tribal Gujjar community, left along with their flock to the higher reaches in search of greener pastures as part of their bi-annual movement early this month.

“We came to cast our vote to fulfil our democratic right,” Hussain told PTI after casting his vote at his Hubi village of Kotranka.

The couple, currently putting up at Madaani Aala Dhok of Kesari Hill, started their journey at around 6 am and reached their village after trekking a distance of more than 12 km.

Hussain said he had left his two sons behind to take care of their bovine animals. “They are underage, otherwise I would have brought them as well.”

The couple started their return journey at 3 pm and said they will reach their ‘Dhok’ (seasonal home) by 8 pm.

The Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency recorded a 53 per cent voter turnout on Saturday as polling for the five Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir came to an end. The high voter turnout in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat was in sharp contrast to the poll percentage of nine registered in the 2019 general elections.

The four assembly constituencies of Rajouri district recorded 69.5 per cent voting as compared to 65.7 per cent in 2019.