Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Apr 8: Administration is facing tough time to induct poll staff for the by-polls in Srinagar Parliamentary constituency due to apprehensions of law and order problems in parts of the constituency and majority of the 1,559 polling stations have been declared sensitive and hyper-sensitive.
The poll staff at many places including Nagam, Chadoora, Beerwah and many other places was yet to be inducted due to apprehensions of law and order problems in these areas.
A polling officer from Chadoora told Excelsior that they are in buses since 1 p.m. and are waiting for induction. “We were asked to board the buses at Chadoora at 1 p.m. and are waiting for induction. There are no arrangements of lunch and dinner and market is also closed here. However, we are being told now that we will be inducted in the morning before Sunrise”, he said. The officer said that around 400 poll staff is stuck at Chadoora.
Sources said that at these places there have been incidents of stone pelting and administration does not want to take any risk of poll staff being hurt in the incidents of stone pelting.
A petrol bomb was hurled at a police party near the polling booth in Zaldagar area of the old city tonight. However, there was no damage.
Stone pelting incidents were also reported from Safa Kadal of Srinagar and Narbal area of Budgam. Police and CRPF fired tear smoke to disperse the stone pelters.
The CRPF resorted to aerial firing to disperse protesters in Beerwah area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district, triggering shutdown. A group of youth assembled in Beerwah market and pelted stones on CRPF troopers. The troopers fired in air to make way out of the market. Following the clashes, shopkeepers downed their shutters and chaos descended on the whole market.
Clashes erupted between youth and security forces after a motorcade ferrying polling staff was attacked with stones in Hayatpora area of Chadoora in Budgam district. Security forces resorted to teargas shelling after youth pelted stones on the troopers escorting the polling staff. However, the staff has been safely shifted to the Government High School Hayatpora where polling station has been set up.
Srinagar Parliamentary constituency comprised of 15 Assembly segments including Kangan, Ganderbal, Hazratbal, Zadibal, Idgah, Khanyar, Habbakadal, Amirakadal, Sonwar, Batamaloo, Chadoora, Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahab and Charar-i-Sharif.
“Based on threat perception by intelligence agencies and security forces, the Election Commission has categorized most of the polling stations as ‘hyper sensitive’ and ‘sensitive,” an official said.
Police and paramilitary forces are being deployed in sufficient strength to secure the polling stations and voters. Fearing protests and violence, police have launched a crackdown in different parts and many youth have been rounded up and lodged in different police stations. Voting will begin at 7 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.
A total of nine candidates including Farooq Abdullah of National Conference (NC), Nazir Ahmad Khan of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Sajad Reshi of Rashtriya Samajwadi Party, Chetan Sharma of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, Bikram Singh of J&K Liberal Democratic Party, Mirza Sajad Hussain Beigh of Rashtriya Jan Kranti Party and five Independents including Mirza Sajad Hussain Beigh, Ghulam Hassan Dar, Farooq Ahmad Dar and Mehraj Khurshid Malik are in fray.
There are 12,59,279 voters, including 6,54,775 men and 6,04,504 women, in Srinagar LS constituency. Srinagar district has the highest number of 6,38,698 voters followed by 4,56,276 voters in Budgam and 1,64,305 in Ganderbal comprising the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency. A total of 1,559 polling stations have been set up in the constituency for the polling. The counting will be held on April 15.
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