Polling will go ahead in the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly election tomorrow, with 23.27 lakh eligible voters in 24 assembly constituencies spread over seven districts deciding the fate of 219 candidates, including bigwigs from different political parties, on electronic voting machines in the first assembly election after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, converting the erstwhile state into a Union Territory.
Officials said all arrangements for voting have been made and voting teams and electronic voting machines have been sent to polling stations. Security personnel have been sent to polling stations in advance to disinfect the voting area.
“Special security arrangements have been put in place for all eight assembly seats in Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts of Jammu region in view of the surge in terror attacks and the presence of foreign terrorists in the hill regions,” officials said, adding that the army has been deployed in the hill regions for counter-terror operations while paramilitary forces, JKP and SOG are on election duty to ensure smooth, free, fair and incident-free elections.
The constituencies going to polls tomorrow in Jammu region include Inderwal, Kishtwar, Paddar-Nagseni, Bhaderwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban and Banihal, all in Doda district.
A total of 23,27,580 voters, including 11,76,462 male voters, 11,51,058 female voters and 60 voters of the third gender, are eligible to vote in the first phase.
“As many as 1.23 lakh youths aged between 18 and 19, 28,309 persons with disabilities and 15,774 senior voters aged above 85 are also eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase,” an Election Commission official said.
The official said a total of 14,000 polling staff will monitor the voting process at 3,276 polling stations to ensure smooth voting.
In Jammu, those trying their luck are former ministers Sunil Sharma and Shakti Parihar (BJP), Sajjad Kitchloo and Khalid Najib Suhrawardhy (NC), Vikar Rasool Wani (Congress), Abdul Majid Wani (DAP) and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, a three-time legislator who is contesting as an independent candidate after being rejected by the DAP and who quit the Congress two years ago to support Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Young BJP woman candidate Shagun Parihar, who shot to fame as she is a relative of martyrs and BJP leaders Anil Parihar and Ajit Parihar, will contest from Kitchloo in the Kishtwar constituency.
Former MP Daleep Singh Parihar (BJP), former MPs Firdous Tak and Imtiyaz Shan (MDB), current Kishtwar DDC chairperson Pooja Thakur from the Rajya Sabha, and current AAP DDC member Mehraj Din Malik are some of the prominent names in the Doda district elections.
Despite the alliance between the Nationalist Congress (NC) and the Congress, both parties have fielded candidates for “friendly campaigning” in Banihal, Bhaderwah and Doda, while NC rebel leader Pyare Lal Sharma is contesting from Inderwal as an independent and two BJP rebels Rakesh Goswami and Suraj Singh Parihar are also trying to contest from Ramban and Paddar-Nagseni constituencies respectively.
Meanwhile, South Kashmir will go to polls in the first phase of the legislative assembly elections tomorrow with over 14 lakh voters set to decide the fate of 155 candidates.
The first phase of Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections will cover 16 assembly constituencies in four districts of South Kashmir. These constituencies include Anantnag, Pulwama, Chaupin and Kulgam in Kashmir. The assembly seats that go to polls tomorrow are Panpore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Chaupin, DHpora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dhuru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Sriguvwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East and Pahalgam.
Anantnag district has 64 candidates in the fray, Pulwama district has 45 candidates, Kulgam district has 25 candidates and Chopin district has 21 candidates.
In Anantnag district, 10 candidates are contesting in 41-Dooru, 10 candidates are contesting in 42-Kokernag (ST), 9 candidates are contesting in 43-Anantnag West, 13 candidates are contesting in 44-Anantnag, 3 candidates are contesting in 45-Srigufwara-Bijbehara, 13 candidates are contesting in 46-Shangus-Anantnag East and 6 candidates are contesting in 47-Pahalgam.
In Pulwama district, 14 candidates are contesting in 32-Pampore, nine candidates in 33-Tral, 12 candidates in 34-Pulwama and 10 candidates in 35-Rajpora.
In Kulgam district, six candidates are contesting in 38-DH Pora ward, 10 candidates are contesting in 39-Kulgam ward and nine candidates are contesting in 40-Devsar ward.
In the Chopin district, 10 candidates are running for 36-Zainapora and 11 candidates are running for 37-Shopian.
Anantnag district consists of seven constituencies with a total of 6,67,843 voters, including 3,36,200 males, 3,31,639 females and four transgender voters. A comprehensive network of 844 polling stations has been set up across the district.
Pulwama district has a total of 4,07,637 voters, including 2,02,475 men, 2,05,141 women and 21 transgenders, spread across four constituencies. The ECI has set up 481 polling booths across the district
Kulgam district comprises three assembly constituencies and has a total of 3,28,782 registered voters, including 1,64,852 men, 1,63,917 women and 13 transgender voters. The Election Commission has set up a comprehensive network of 372 polling stations to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.
The Chaupin district is divided into two constituencies and has a total of 2,09,062 registered voters, including 1,04,894 men, 1,04,161 women and seven transgender voters. To facilitate voting, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has set up 251 polling stations in the two constituencies.
Voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The main candidates in South Kashmir are Mohammad Khalil Bandh of the Communist Party of India (NC) and Waheed Ur Rehman Para of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from Pulwama constituency, Hasnain Masoodi of the Communist Party of India (NC) and Zahoor Ahmad Mir of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from Panpore constituency, Shabir Ahmad Kullay, a former member of the Communist Party of India (NC) from Chopin constituency, Aijaz Ahmad Mir, a former member of the People’s Democratic Party and former legislator from Zainapora constituency, Sakina Itu, a former minister and member of the Communist Party of India (NC) from the Democratic Progressive Party (DH) from Pora constituency. Itoo), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from Kulgam constituency, Sartaj Madni of the People’s Democratic Party from Devasar constituency, Abdul Majeed Bhat Larmi of the Communist Party of India (NC) and Abdul Gaffar Sofi of the People’s Democratic Party from West Anantnag constituency, senior PDP member and former minister Abdul Reham Veeri from Anantnag East constituency, Bashir Ahmad Veeri of Anantnag and Iltija Mufti of the PDP from Bijbehara, former JKPCC president Ghulam Ahmad Mir from Dooru, and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo from Pahalgam.
Poll workers and voting machines arrived at polling stations this afternoon amid tight security.
Security has been stepped up around polling stations in south Kashmir and security forces are conducting area control in the region to ensure smooth conduct of voting.
Kashmir Police Inspector General VK Birdi told Excelsior that elaborate security measures have been taken to ensure smooth conduct of the polls.
Berdi said personnel from the Central Armed Police Force, Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police Force and state administrative police will be deployed during the polls and a multi-layered security protection measure will be established.
Kashmir Police Chief said that to ensure smooth movement of polling staff, they have also conducted area control. “This is applicable to polling booths, voting locations and distribution centers. Area control, especially road opening (ROP) has been conducted to ensure smooth movement so that polling staff and the public can reach their destinations on time and complete the voting process in a free, fair and safe environment,” he said.
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