Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, May 23: Campaigning ended for Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat today that is voting on May 25 with 20 candidates in the fray including former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and NC leader Mian Altaf.
The constituency, spanning both sides of the Pir Panjal range, was initially set to vote on May 7 which was postponed to May 25.
Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency comprises a total of 18 Assembly segments, with seven in the Jammu division – four in Rajouri and three in Poonch – and 11 in the Kashmir region – seven in Anantnag district, three in Kulgam, and one in Shopian.
There are 183,6576 voters enrolled in 5 districts: Kulgam, Anantnag, Poonch, District Shopian (Zainapora), and Rajouri of the PC, which include 933,647 male and 902,902 female voters, and 27 third-gender voters. Around 17,967 persons with disabilities and 540 persons above the age of 100 years will cast their ballots in the PC.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
“There are nearly 81,000 first-time voters who will be casting their votes for the first time since the 2019 Parliamentary elections,” the Chief Electoral Officer said in a statement.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has set up 2,338 Polling Stations across the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency. In total, more than 9,000 polling staff members, including reserves, will be deployed on duty. There are 19 Border Polling Stations in the districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
In the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency, a total of 20 candidates are vying for the seat including former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, former Minister Mian Altaf, JKAP leader Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, besides others.
As the campaigning for seat ended this evening, restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC were imposed to ensure the orderly conduct of the electoral process.
Security arrangements are in place in the constituency, with paramilitary forces, Police, and Armed Police being deployed at Polling Stations. Patrolling by security personnel has also been intensified in vulnerable areas.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), P K Pole said that so far, the polls have been peaceful. “There has been no poll-related violence; however, an incident of violence in Anantnag and Shopian demanded extra scrutiny. We have ensured that no violence takes place on the poll day for which security deployment has been readied,” he said.
“The situation may have been peaceful for the past few years, but that in no way means that we don’t need extra precautions. Ample security has been deployed in the region as per the required demand,” he added.
The CEO said: “Though the campaign of candidates holds the utmost importance, the Election Commission has also played a role in the high voter turnout in the region.”
Over 25,000 security personnel have been deployed across the constituency, with about 1,600 Polling Stations classified as “hypersensitive”
Meanwhile, Multi-layer security has been put in place in the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, particularly along the Line of Control (LoC), part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency.
These measures include increased deployment of security personnel, area dominations in hill regions, additional checkpoints and round-the-clock monitoring in the region and at vital installations, officials said.
Several additional companies of security personnel have been deployed, reinforcing a security setup managed by Army, police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF), they said.
Troops have been put on alert along the LoC, and security and contingency plans have been put in place for all border Polling Stations.
The Anantnag Lok Sabha seat comprises 18 Assembly segments — seven in Anantnag district, four in Rajouri, three each in Kulgam and Poonch, and one in Shopian.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
