Not casting vote is a sin, feel voters in Anantnag

Sakina, an elderly woman in the remote hamlet of Kehrbal in Anantnag Assembly constituency which had bypolls today, is disillusioned with politicians but asserts that not casting her vote is a "sin".
She was among thousands of people who queued up at polling booths here to exercise their franchise, ignoring boycott calls by separatists and militants, saying it is their right which they would carry out irrespective of anything.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is one of the eight candidates in the fray in this constituency.
Waiting in a queue for her turn to cast her vote at a polling booth here, Sakina accused politicians of backtracking on their poll promises but said "It is our right to vote. It is a sin to not cast the vote."

70-year-old Saja Begum is also disillusioned with politicians.
"They (politicians) are all alike. They do not do anything. They just take our votes and then do not come back," Saja said as she stood in a queue along with other women at a polling station here waiting for her turn to cast the vote.

Saja said she has voted before as well but it did not make any difference as the "politicians do not keep their promises."
"They say they will do this and that, but then (after winning), they do not keep their promises," she complained.
When asked why then she was going to vote, Saja asserted that she would exercise her franchise irrespective of anything.

"We have to vote. Why should we not? And I hope she (Mehbooba) is different. This is her father's (former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) land and she has to keep her father's promises," the old woman said.
The women, most of whom support,Mehbooba said she has promised them drinking water for their homes and irrigation facilities for their fields.
"She has promised it. Her father has told her to keep this promise and we are sure, she will keep the promise, so we are voting in her favour," they said.
However, in the crowd of her supporters, a few women came out against her in the open.

They cited the recent controversy of a private school suspending a teacher for wearing 'abaya' (cloak worn by women), saying they cannot vote for such a candidate under whose government such things happen.
"You know how a teacher was suspended because she wanted to follow her religion. We cannot vote for her (Mehbooba) when such things happen in her rule," said Rukaya, a young female voter.