Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 20: Jammu and Kashmir today broke 27 years record by recording overall percentage of 66 per cent for all 87 Assembly seats while fifth and final phase of polling today witnessed 76 percent voting in 20 constituencies of Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts defying threats of terror attacks, Pakistan firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) and hostile weather conditions with extreme chill in hilly areas and fog in plains.
People including women and young voters turned out in huge numbers in 20 Assembly constituencies that went to polls today culminating voting in the State and sealing fate of 213 candidates including five sitting Ministers, several former Ministers, legislators and former MPs apart from bigwigs of major political parties in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), which will be opened on December 23, the day of counting for all 87 constituencies.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umang Narula told a news conference that 76 per cent electorates exercised their right to franchise in the fifth and final phase of voting today, breaking record of previous four phases.
Five FIRs were registered today including one against Minister of State for Cooperatives and Congress candidate for Billawar Dr Manohar Lal Sharma under Section 307 for attempting to murder DySP DAR Kathua Kuljit Singh by attacking him personally with lathis and stones. Another FIR was registered against unnamed Congress workers in Akhnoor while third FIR was registered at Kalakote police station against the BJP activists for assaulting police personnel including Additional SP Nowshera Rakesh Sharma. Three PDP workers were injured in clash with NC men at Panad, Darhal leading to registration of fourth FIR. An Independent candidate Rajinder Singh was also booked for instigating violence.
Dr Sharma, a two time MLA from Billawar and sitting Minister, roamed freely even after police registered attempt to murder case against him but didn’t arrest him. This was despite the fact that he attacked DySP DAR Kuljit Singh personally with lathis and stones causing him grievous injuries, sources said.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Nagrota Assembly segment with 83.9 per cent recorded highest voter turnout in today’s phase and was closely followed by Bani in Kathua district with 83.2 per cent while Gandhi Nagar with 63.05 per cent was lowest in today’s phase.
Sources said all previous voting records after 1987 elections, when the elections were brazenly “rigged’’ have been broken in current Assembly elections with 66 per cent turnout.
In 2008 Assembly elections, the poll percentage was 61.42 while in 2002 polls it stood at 43.09 per cent only. In 1996 Assembly polls, 54.48% turnout was recorded. In Lok Sabha elections of 2004, Jammu and Kashmir had recorded voting turnout of only 35.20 percent, which went up to 39.67 in 2009 and 50.23 in 2014 Parliamentary polls.
This year’s turnout is about 4.58 per cent more than 2008 Assembly elections, 22.30 per cent than 2002 polls and 12.08 per cent than State elections of 1996.
In the five-phased Assembly elections in the State, the first phase recorded 71.28 per cent followed by 72.10 per cent in second phase, 58 per cent in third phase and 49 per cent in fourth phase.
The Election Commission of India described as “historic and unprecedented’’ 66 percent turnout in Jammu and Kashmir elections, a record in the last 27 years.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umang Narula accompanied by Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Shantmanu and IGP Jammu Rajesh Kumar told media persons that voting was by and large peaceful in all 20 Assembly segments in final phase of polling in three districts of Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri.
Narula said the turnout in fifth and final phase of polling was highest among all five phases and broke all records. He added that overall polling percentage for all 87 Assembly seats in the State that went to polls in five phases beginning November 25 stood at 66.
Kathua district having five Assembly segments topped in voting percentage among all three districts that went to polls today with 81.21 per cent electorates exercising their right to franchise. Constituency wise percentage in Kathua district was Bani (83.2), Kathua (80.47), Hiranagar (80.17), Basohli (78.5) and Billawar (77.6).
Rajouri district accounted for 79 percent turnout. Assembly segment wise voting in Rajouri district went as Nowshera (81.2), Darhal (82.89), Rajouri (76.73) and Kalakote (76.96).
Polling percentage in 11 Assembly constituencies of Jammu district was Nagrota (83.91), Gandhi Nagar (63.05), Jammu East (66.05), Jammu West (65), Bishnah (80.22), RS Pura (79.87), Suchetgarh (81.70), Marh (82.45), Raipur Domana (77.41), Akhnoor (82.97) and Chhamb (82).
In 2008 Assembly elections, Marh had recorded highest voting turnout of 81.97 per cent while lowest turnout among 20 constituencies was registered in Jammu East (60.71 per cent). Bani had recorded voting percentage of 74.46, Basohli 69.39, Kathua 67.22, Billawar 71.39, Hiranagar 64.66, Nagrota 79.33, Gandhi Nagar 64.15, Jammu West 60.86, Bishnah 75.40, RS Pura 76.56, Suchetgarh 79.80, Raipur Domana 70.55, Akhnoor 79.68, Chhamb 78.35, Nowshera 73.01, Darhal 77.36, Rajouri 70.12 and Kalakote 73.47.
At least five FIRs were today registered including one against Cooperatives Minister and Congress candidate from Billawar Dr Manohar Lal Sharma after he himself subjected DySP DAR Kathua Kuljit Singh to stone pelting and beat up him along with his goons with lathis in early hours of this morning when he had gone to village Koug to resolve a dispute between Congress and BJP workers. Kuljit Singh was seriously injured in the assault. Other police personnel rescued the DySP and shifted him to hospital in critical condition.
While the Minister took the law in his own hands, the cops remained mute spectators after the attack and didn’t dare to arrest him despite the fact that the Minister accompanied by his PSOs roamed freely from one polling station to another in Billawar segment. Sources said during the elections, police just had to seek permission of District Election Officer (DEO) to arrest the Minister but it hadn’t even sought permission of the DEO to arrest him.
Police have registered FIR 187/2014 under Sections 147, 148, 149, 353, 323, 336 & 307 RPC for attempt to murder the DySP and other charges but allowed him to go scot free.
IGP Jammu Rajesh Kumar, in response to a question at the press conference, said investigations in the case were on. To a question as to whether the Minister had gone underground, Kumar only replied that investigations were on.
Sources said the goons of Manohar Lal Sharma had earlier attacked Dr Nirmal Singh and his supporters causing them injuries.
According to sources, the permission of the Assembly Speaker was not required to arrest the Minister during the elections and police had to take permission of the DEO only, who happened to be the Deputy Commissioner. However, police intentionally was giving enough time to Manohar Lal to try and get anticipatory bail.
FIR was registered against Independent candidate Rajinder Singh in Basohli under FIR No. 87/2014 and Sections 341, 147 and 427 RPC when he intercepted a vehicle of BJP supporters and broke its window panes outside his house at Mahanpur last night. He too has not been arrested so far.
Trouble erupted in Kalakote when a BJP polling agent Rifat daughter of Haji Abdul Rashid, was returning to her house after the polling was over at 4 pm. A lady agent of NC beat-up the BJP polling agent causing her injuries. Later, the NC workers also attacked family of the girl and set afire their grass bundles in the field.
This led to resentment among the BJP workers, who gathered in large number and intercepted the vehicle of the brother of NC candidate Rashpal Singh and damaged it. They also pelted stones on police party headed by Additional SP Nowshera Rakesh Sharma, who was returning with EVMs. The police personnel tried to disperse the mob with lathicharge but the latter continued stone pelting in which Sharma and his PSOs were injured after being hit by stones.
Sharma got five stitches and was admitted in the hospital.
Police have registered a FIR in this connection. The law and order was restored after police dispersed the mob.
Three PDP workers were injured in a clash with National Conference at village Panad in Darhal in Rajouri district on the issue of bogus voting. Injured have been identified as Salam Din and Mohammad Anwar both sons of Jamaal Din and Mohammad Irfan son of Mohammad Din, residents of Panad. Irfan has been shifted to the Government Medical College Jammu while two others were admitted in the local hospital.
NC workers responsible for the attack were absconding. A case has been registered against them. The voting at Danna Panad polling station continued smoothly.
In last night’s firing at Akhnoor by the Congress workers, police have registered a FIR.
Responding to a question at the press conference, the IGP confirmed registration of the FIR but said it was not against Minister and Congress candidate from Akhnoor Sham Lal Sharma.
Meanwhile, polling at all 125-odd polling stations falling along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in three border districts of Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri went on smoothly as there was no firing from Pakistan Army and Rangers anywhere.
“At none of the polling stations falling within firing range of Pakistan, relocation was required,’’ sources said, adding that the authorities had kept alternate polling stations ready if there was firing from across the LoC or IB.
Today’s polling sealed fate of 213 candidates in the EVMs including five sitting Ministers—Tara Chand, Sham Lal Sharma, Ajay Sadhotra, Raman Bhalla and Manohar Lal Sharma and several bigwigs including NC’s provincial president and former Political Advisor to Chief Minister Devender Rana (Nagrota), his party colleague and Planning Minister Ajay Sadhotra (Marh), BJP’s bigwigs including Dr Nirmal Singh (Billawar), Kavinder Gupta (Gandhi Nagar), Ashwani Sharma (Bishnah), Sham Choudhary (Suchetgarh), Talib Hussain (Rajouri), Sat Sharma CA (Jammu West) and Ravinder Raina (Nowshera).
Raina, who was yesterday attacked by the PDP workers at Lamberi, Nowshera couldn’t visit his constituency today as he was admitted in the GMC Jammu.
In attack on Raina, police have registered FIR No. 197/2014 at Nowshera police station.
Umang Narula told the media persons after conclusion of voting for all 87 Assembly seats that 66 percent electorates exercised their right to franchise in five phase polling.
He said EVMs were replaced today only at six places including four in Jammu districts and one each at Kathua and Rajouri.
He said the Election Commission had set up 10035 polling stations and, of them 617 were critical in 87 seats.
Narula said that 20 General Observers, 6 Expenditure Observers, 3 Police Observers, 2 Awareness Observers besides 394 micro observers and about 12,820 poll officials were deployed for the polls today.
Elaborate arrangements were made to facilitate voters to exercise their franchise in a free and fair atmosphere, adding that the polling percentage may increase after consolidation of figures.
Narula said that in all the five phases, a total of 831 candidates, 803 men and 28 women, tried their luck on all the 87 Assembly seats spread across the State.
“There were a total of 10,035 polling stations at 7,657 locations across the State. A total of 53,272 polling personnel helped conduct the polls,” he said.
He said that 617 polling stations were identified as critical whereas 2,036 polling stations were kept under hyper-sensitive category.
“There was no incident attempts from across the border to disrupt the poll process,” Narula said.
Terming the conduct of elections as “successful”, Narula held coordination between various agencies responsible for the success.
He said that an amount in excess of one crore rupees was recovered by various poll parties.
“In all the five phases, an amount of 1,47,00,000 has been seized and investigations are being held in to the same,” he said.
As many as 18,28,904 voters, comprising 9,59,011 men and 8,69,891 women, were eligible to exercise their franchise at 2,366 polling stations across the three border districts in the final phase.
In Kathua district, web-casting was done at 97 polling stations with live stream of polling process made available for general public through election commission website. As many as 117 Model Poling Stations were established in rural areas and 79 in urban areas. Micro-observers were deputed at 85 polling stations, digital cameras deployed at 322 polling stations and video-recording was done at 68 polling stations.
Model Polling stations registered a record turnout of 84.56%.
Narula informed that web casting was done in 166 Polling Stations, while at 324 polling stations, digital and at 349 polling stations, video cameras were installed for free, fair and smooth conduct of polls today.
Narula said that 20 General Observers, 06 Expenditure Observers, 03 Police Observers, 02 Awareness Observer besides 394 micro observers and about 12820 poll officials were deployed for the smooth conduct of polls.
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