Para-military forces airlifted to Kargil, several polling stations

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 4: As Srinagar-Leh National Highway remained closed, authorities have airlifted para-military forces and Armed Police personnel to Kargil for deployment during elections to Ladakh Parliamentary seat, scheduled for May 7, where campaigning would come to an end at 5 pm tomorrow.
In Kargil, polling staff and para-military personnel were airlifted to 10 polling stations while in Leh, a similar exercise was carried out for six polling stations.
Ladakh seat would go to polls in final phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir on May 7 when Baramulla seat in the Kashmir Valley would also witness polling.
SSP Kargil Sujit Kumar told the Excelsior that para-military forces for deployment in Kargil elections were airlifted from Srinagar yesterday due to closure of Srinagar-Leh National Highway. He said the entire process of airlifting was completed yesterday itself.
After para-military forces reached Kargil by air, they were further airlifted to 10 polling stations of Zanskar, which were inaccessible by road so far, Kumar said, adding that deployment has been completed in all polling stations of Kargil district.
“All security measures have been made. The para-military forces and police have been deployed in all polling stations of Kargil, which were in far off areas while in the town and surroundings, the deployment would be made tomorrow,” the SSP Kargil said.
Sources said the para-military CRPF and ITBP were already deployed in Leh and they were deployed on election duty.
In Leh, the polling parties along with election material and para-military personnel were airlifted to six inaccessible polling stations of Lingsshet, Skumpata, Dipling, Hunkar, Markha and Rumbak.
The polling staff and elections material for two polling stations of Yulchung and Nyraks would be airlifted tomorrow, official sources said.
Campaigning remained a low key affair in Ladakh excepting BJP, whose star campaigners-Nitin Gadkari, former national president campaigned in Leh today while Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, senior vice president had canvassed at Kargil and Drass few days back for party candidate Thupstan Chhewang.
No start campaigner turned up for Congress. Local Congress leaders campaigned for their candidate Tsering Samphel. Two Independent candidates-Syed Mohammad Kazim Sabri and Ghulam Raza held campaign on their own.
However, Sabri got open support of National Conference leaders of Kargil including Mohammad Sayeed Akhoon, Advisor to the Chief Minister and Feroz Khan, Minister of State for Science and Technology. Similarly, Raza got the support to former Congress Minister Haji Nissar Ali and LAHDC, Kargil CEC Asgar Ali Karblaie.
Out of just four candidates in the fray for Ladakh seat, the lowest for any constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, there were two each from the twin districts. The Ladakh constituency has just 1.59 lakh electorates. Even the votes were almost equally divided between the two districts with Leh having 79042 electorates and Kargil 80589.
BJP has fielded 2004 MP from Ladakh-Thupstan Chhewang and Congress its district president Tsering Samphel (both from Ladakh). In Kargil district, two Independent candidates have joined the fray. They included Sayeed Mohammad Kazim Sabri, backed by powerful religious organisation Islamiya School Kargil (ISK) and Ghulam Raza, a Congress leader, who had revolted against the party decision to field candidate from Leh and joined the fray backed by another powerful organisation-Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust (IMKT).
In 2009 election, it was ISK backed Independent candidate Ghulam Hassan Khan had won Ladakh seat defeating Congress nominee P Namgayal with about 3700 votes. Khan had polled 32,694 votes as against Namgayal’s 28,986. BJP backed Independent candidate Thinless Angmo had secured 22,716 votes while IKMT supported Independent Asgar Ali Karblaie, now a prominent Congress leader and CEC LAHDC, Kargil had secured 24,498 votes. PDP’s Ghulam Murtaza got 642 votes. This time the PDP is not in the fray for Ladakh seat.
A number of Karblaie’s supporters including Councilors of the LAHDC Kargil are canvassing for Congress rebel Ghulam Raza this time.

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