Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 9: Troops have been put on high alert all along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) while 13,000 para-military and police personnel have taken over 2271 polling stations and other vulnerable areas as first phase of Parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir gets underway tomorrow with polling in Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat.
Over 13,000 polling staff has been deployed for 17,63,579 electorates in Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat, which has 19 candidates in fray. The polling staff was airlifted to only one polling station at Hill Kaka in Poonch district while in rest of the places, the staff reached by transport or trekking some distance.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Umang Narula told the Excelsior that all arrangements for first phase of elections in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow in which Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat comprising sensitive border districts of Jammu, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch would go to polls.
“We have made best possible security arrangements. The polling staff has also been dispatched to all 2271 polling stations. Special case has been taken for hyper sensitive and sensitive polling stations,” he said.
Mr Narula said para-military forces, Armed Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police have been deployed in adequate strength in the entire Lok Sabha constituency and they have already taken charge of polling stations and vulnerable areas.
Returning Officer for Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat and Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, AK Sahu about 13,000 Government officials have been deployed for poll duty in the entire segments including 6000 alone in Jammu district. He said only one polling station of the constituency warranted airlifting of polling staff and security personnel at Hill Kaka in Poonch district, which was done this morning.
SSP Jammu Atul Goel said polling staff reached tonight at all 1153 polling stations of the district including the border belt of Arnia and RS Pura.
SSP Samba Anil Magotra said an alert has been sounded all along the IB and police along with security personnel were maintaining a very high alert to ensure peaceful elections in the border areas of Samba and Ramgarh.
Though there are 19 candidates in the fray for tomorrow’s election for Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat, the contest was expected to be triangular between BJP’s Jugal Kishore Sharma, two times sitting MP from Congress Madan Lal Sharma and PDP’s Yash Pal Sharma. Madan had won the seat in 2004 and 2009 and is seeking third consecutive term.
Jugal Kishore is two times MLA from Nagrota Assembly segment having both times defeated NC’s strongman Ajatshatru Singh, the family icon of erstwhile ruling family of Jammu and Kashmir. He is seeking maiden entry into the Lok Sabha.
PDP’s Yash Pal Sharma, who has emerged as a potential threat to BJP and Congress, yielded considerable influence in Rajouri and Poonch districts and had made strong inroads into Jammu and Samba districts. He is also seeking maiden entry to the Parliament.
Other 16 candidates in the fray for Jammu-Poonch seat included Ashok Bhagat (BSP), Hari Chand Jhalmeria (NPP), Gursagar Singh Isher (Socialist Democratic Party), Mehar Manav Bhagat (Bharatiya Bahujan Party), Subash Chander (Kissan Mazdoor Party), Bahadur Singh Choudhary (Samajwadi Party), Vijay Kumar (Aam Mazdoor Kissan Vikas Party), Abdul Majeed Chouhan, a resident of Mendhar, Mohammad Abbas Khan of Digwar, Perseen Singh of Digwar, Poonch, Mohammad Imtiyaz of Manjakote, Rajouri, Ashok Kumar of Maheshpura, Bakshi Nagar, Satish Poonchi of Durga Nagar, Muthi, Raj Kumar and Nirmal Singh, all Independents.
Though Refugee United Front candidate Labha Ram Gandhi has retired from the fray in favour of BJP, his name would figure in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) as he had opted out of the contest after last date for withdrawal of nomination papers.
This would be first election in which the option of None of the Above (NOTA) would also be available to the electorates.
Of 17,63,579 electorates of Jammu-Poonch seat, 9,25,044 were male while 8,38,535 were females. About 48043 electorates were eligible for exercising their franchise for the first time.
Sources said there could be slight variation in number of electorates as the lists were updated till the last moment.
Jammu and Samba districts accounted for about 11.67 lakh votes in Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary seat while twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch accounted for approximate 6.13 lakh votes.
Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat was based on 20 Assembly segments, 13 of which fall in Jammu and Samba districts (Jammu 11 and Samba 2) while seven segments fall in Rajouri and Poonch districts (Rajouri 4 and Poonch 3).
Eleven Assembly constituencies of Jammu district have 9,89,489 electorate while two Assembly segments of Samba district accounted for 1,87,719 voters. Four Assembly constituencies of Rajouri districts have 3,67,934 votes while three Assembly segments of Poonch have 2,55,368 electorates.
Of 11 Assembly constituencies in Jammu district, BJP represents six, Congress 3, Jammu State Morcha and BJP rebel (Prof Chaman Lal Gupta) one each. The BJP holds Jammu City East, Nagrota, RS Pura, Suchetgarh, Domana and Marh Assembly segments while Congress represents Gandhi Nagar, Akhnoor and Chhamb.
JSM leader Ashwani Sharma holds Bishnah while Prof Gupta, who had won Jammu West seat on BJP mandate, has been expelled by the party.
Of two Assembly segments of Samba, NC and NPP hold one each-Vijaypur and Samba respectively.
Of 7 Assembly segments in Rajouri and Poonch districts, NC holds three (Poonch, Nowshera and Kalakote) while Congress and PDP represent two each. Congress holds Surankote and Rajouri seats while PDP has Darhal and Mendhar.
Sources said authorities have formed Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) at every police station in Poonch and Rajouri districts. Each QRT comprised 12 to 18 well trained police personnel, who were fully equipped with arms and ready to meet with any challenge.
The QRTs have been deployed in Jammu and Samba districts as per requirement, sources said, adding they were enough to deal with any situation including the threat emanating from across the border especially in the wake of March 28 attack in Kathua district.
According to sources, 39 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed in Rajouri and 32 in Poonch district apart from 24 and 12 battalions respectively of Armed and Indian Reserve Police.
“The deployment would be in place at least one or two days ahead of the polling for sanitization operation of the polling stations and surrounding areas,” sources said.
Sources said the authorities have declared 49 polling stations in Rajouri district as hyper sensitive out of a total of 499. Remaining 131 polling stations were sensitive and 219 as normal. In Poonch district, out of a total of 373 polling stations, 23 have been declared as hyper sensitive, 134 as sensitive and 209 as normal.
Rajouri’s 499 polling stations would be located in only 416 locations, which means 83 locations would have twin polling stations while Poonch district’s 373 polling stations would be located in 359 locations.
Of 246 polling stations in Samba district, only eight were hyper sensitive while 169 others were sensitive and 69 normal. There was no hyper sensitive polling station in Jammu district, which has a total of 1153 polling stations. About 50 to 60 polling stations were sensitive while rest were normal.
Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary seat has a total of 2271 polling stations, the highest ever among six Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir.
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