The Election Commission of India on Monday put the overall turnout at the three Valley seats at more than 50 per cent — against just over 19 per cent in 2019 — calling it a "massive stride for India’s electoral polity".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, congratulated the people of Anantnag-Rajouri, which saw nearly 55 per cent polling on Saturday, for “the record turnout in the Lok Sabha polls”.

“Their enthusiastic participation is a vibrant testament to their democratic spirit,” Modi posted on X on Monday.

"This active participation is a huge positive for Assembly elections to be held soon so that the democratic process continues to thrive in the Union Territory," chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar said in a statement.

Last December, the Supreme Court had directed the Election Commission to conduct Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir by September 30 this year. No dates have been announced so far.

Kumar said Jammu and Kashmir had witnessed its highest poll participation in 35 years — that is, since the start of militancy.

An official statement quoting Kumar said the combined turnout in the five Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir was 58.46 per cent. It said the turnout was 50.86 per cent for the three Valley seats of Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri – where the average polling had been 19.16 per cent in 2019.

Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri recorded turnouts of 38.49 per cent, 59.1 per cent and 54.84 per cent, respectively. Udhampur and Jammu recorded 68.27 per cent and 72.22 per cent.

“This achievement sits on a credible weave of 25 per cent increase in number of contesting candidates since 2019, C-vigil complaints showing enhanced citizen involvement and Suvidha Portal showing 2,455 requests for rallies, etc, reflecting the steady retaking of the election & campaign space away from hesitation and to fuller participation,” Kumar said.

Ladakh, constituted as a separate Union Territory in 2019, too saw an “enthusiastic response to the call of democracy”, as reflected in a voter turnout of 71.82 per cent, the statement said.

Modi and the BJP leadership have attributed the rise in voter turnouts to the abrogation of Article 370, but Valley politicians claim that public anger against the move has prompted the higher participation.

The elections, the first since the 2019 scrapping of the special status, are being seen as a referendum on the changes that have taken place here in the last five years.

The previous high for the three Valley seats during the militancy years was the 45.86 per cent recorded in 1996. But that was a controversial election, with widespread allegations of bogus voting. The main Valley party, the National Conference, had boycotted that election.