Election fever shifts to 16 assembly segments in 3 Kashmir districts

SRINAGAR: After successive completion of first two phases of five phased assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir when record more than 70 per cent voters cast their votes, election fever has shifted to 16 assembly segments spread over three districts in the Kashmir valley, going to polls on December 9.
Though leaders and candidates of different political parties were engaged in campaigning, the political atmosphere is now picking up as parties are making all out efforts to woo the voters following high voter turnout in the first two phases.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who shifted from Ganderbal seat, was among four present ministers besides a large number of sitting MLAs, are among 138 candidates seeking mandate from 16 constituencies, spread over Badgam, Baramulla and Pulwama districts in the valley. Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has to defend highest nine seats and ruling National Conference (NC) four, Congress, Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN) and Peoples Democratic Front (PDF)one each.
The constituencies going to polls are Uri (Congress), Rafiabad and Sopore (NC), Sangrama and Baramulla (PDP), Gulmarg (DPN) and Pattan (PDP) in Baramulla district, Chadoora (PDP), Badgam (NC), Beerwah (PDP), Khansahib (PDF) and Charar-e-Sharief (NC) in Badgam district and Tral, Pampore, Pulwama and Rajpora (all PDP) in Pulwama district. The NC, PDP and Congress are contesting all seats while National Panthers Party (NPP), Peoples Conference (PC) and some other smaller parties have also put up their candidates. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), aiming 44+ to form the government in the Muslim majority state, has not fielded any candidate in hardliner Hurriyat Conference (HC) home constituency Sopore, Sangrama, Baramulla, Gulmarg, Pattan, in Baramulla district Chadoora in Badgam and Rajpora in Pulwama.
However, the party has fielded a Kashmiri Pandit Desh Kumar Nehru from Rafiabad in Baramulla and a Sikh Avtar Singh from Tral in Pulwama besides six Mulims. The BJP had fielded eight-candidates during 2008 assembly election who could get only 4600 votes. The highest number of 1051 votes were polled by Mir Fayaz Ahmad Rahat in Badgam and lowest 185 in Rajpora constituency. Last time the BJP had fielded a woman candidate from border constituency of Uri who polled 655 votes from among 81.73 per cent polling. The highest number of 15 candidates are seeking mandate from Sopore, followed by Rafiabad and Pattan 12 each, Baramulla 11, Sangrama and Pulwama 10 each, Gulmarg, Charar-e-Sharief and Rajpora 8 each, Badgam, Chadoora and Tral seven each, Pampore, Khansahib and Beerwah six each and Uri five.
Prominent among those in the fray are Mr Abdullah, who shifted from his Ganderbal seat, represented by his father Dr Farooq Abdullah and grand father Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah since Indira-Sheikh accord in 1975 till 2008 barring once when Omar lost to PDP candidate Qazi Mohammad Afzal in 2002. Mr Abdullah is also seeking election from Sonawar constituency in Srinagar.
Present ministers seeking mandate included Congress minister Choudhary Taj Mohiddin, Ghulam Hassan Mir of DNP and finance minister Abdul Rahim Rather of NC. PDP fielded all but one candidates who won in 2008. Bashir Ahmad Shah who was elected on PDP in 2008 is now contesting as an independent after the party gave mandate to Haseeb Ahmad Drabu, a former chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Bank.
Mr Abdullah addressed more than a dozen election rallies and road shows to woo the voters in favour of party candidates.
For PDP the star campaigners were party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, president Mehbooba Mufti and several other former ministers. BJP senior leaders, including Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Shahnawaz also addressed poll rallies. (AGENCIES)

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