For the first time in over a decade, 10 years to be precise, Seven districts of Jammu and Kashmir located on either sides of Pir Panjal Mountain Range are all set to participate in an Assembly election as Phase 1 takes off on September 18, 2024, in the union territory.
Of these polling units, 23 lakh voters will vote for the candidates vying for 219 positions with 90 independents for a total of 24 constituencies in eight of the three constituted districts of Jammu region and sixteen out of the four made districts of Kashmir valley.
The last Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were held before or five years after the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution in august 2019.
The exigency of the Election Commission (EC) states that in phase 1 a total of 23,27,580 person’s – cutlets; 11,76,462 male, 11,51,058 female and 60 third-gender electors. As many as 1.23 lakh youths between the age 18 to 19 years, along with 28,309 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and 15,774 elderly voters above the age of 85 are also eligible to exercise their franchise in phase one, an EC official said.
The entire management of polling 1 will be done by a total of 14 thousand officers including the polling staff. The entire process will be carried out in 3,276 polling stations with due efficiency such that the elections will not be hampered.
“In total, there are 302 polling stations in the town as well as 2974 polling centres in the rural areas. Four election officers that encompass the Presiding Officer will be found at every polling station. In total more 14,000 polling officers will be deployed on duty for the 1st phase election,” he said.
“Since the initial phase of polling is slated to take place on the 18th of September, the Jammu and Kashmir police has put elaborate security mechanisms in place for the assembly elections so that every person possible will be able to cast their vote,’ Mrs. K. V. Birdi, Inspector General of Police Kashmir Zone V.K stated.
The security arrangements include multi-tier forces consisting of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) Jammu and Kashmir Armed and J K police, Birdi added. Among those who seek place for contesting in Kashmir includes Tarigami Mohd. Yousuf of CPI (M) Ghulam Ministre AICC general killer, Sakina Itoo of National conference, Sartaj Madni and Abdul Rehman Veeri of PDP. From Bijbehara constituency, Iltija Mufti of PDP is also in the race and is pitted against NC.
In Srinagar’s political landscape a prominent vacancy exists for the leftist party of CPI (M) where Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami is making an attempt to be elected for fifth time consecutively from Kulgam segment. Party’s senior leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir is targeting a third term from Dooru while the national conference’s Sajina Aito, hitting from Damhal Hajipora, is also aiming for a fresh term. Also eyed will be patio’s 2 madhni (teet) sartaj and Abdul Rehman Veeri (Shangus-Anantnag).
Yet, all the focus will be on Srigufwara-Bijbehara and then Pulwama Assembly segments where PDP leaders Iltija Mufti and Waheed Para are contesting the polls respectively.
Iltija Mufti, who hails from Bijbehara constituency and is the third generation politician of her family contesting for the office, is facing a triangular contest along with NC’s Bashir Ahmad Veeri and BJP’s Sofi Mohammad Yousuf.
But, Mr Para, the accused in a terror case faced upon the assessment, has since his departure from office, joined the National Congress, who is heads during these elections, Mr Mohd Khalil Bandh who was once his colleague in the same party though he has since changed. The contest here has been spiced up by the entry of a former member of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami Talat Majid Alie. Mr. Tarigami also faces a similar candidate in Sayar Ahmad Reshi.
In Jammu, several other people are also seen trying their luck; this time it is the former Minister Sajjad Kitchloo (NC), Khalid Najid Suharwardy (NC) Vikar Rasool Wani (Congress), Abdul Majid Wani (DPAP), Sunil Sharma (BJP), Shakti Raj Parihar (Doda west) and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, three times MLA, who is fighting as an independent candidate, having been denied a ticket by DPAP, which he joined after leaving Congress in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad two years ago.
From these, one can count among the thickest soon the former MLA Daleep Singh Parihar (BJP), ex-MLC Fiourous Tak and Imtiyaz Shan (PDP), NC’s sitting chairperson Pooja Thakur of district development council Kishtwar, young face of BJP Shagun Parihar the daughter of late Ajit Parihar terror victim in November 2018, uncle Anil Parihar etc ordinary face with AAP Mehraj din Malik amongst the rest.
In spite of an alliance between the National Conference (NC) and the Congress, both parties have fielded candidates in Banihal, Bhaderwah and Doda subscribing to a ‘friendly contest’, while dissident NC leader Pyare Lal Sharma is standing for election from Inderwal as an independent and dissident BJP leaders Rakesh Goswami and Suraj Singh Parihar from Ramban and Padder-Nagseni constituencies.
The election seats still to be filled on Wednesday include Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, NH Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, Pahalgam, Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban and Banihal.
