J&K Polls: Poor turnout in Srinagar; moderate to brisk voting in rural areas
SRINAGAR: Nearly three-fourths of the voters in eight Jammu and Kashmir Assembly segments falling in Srinagar district gave the elections a miss on the polling day on Tuesday. However, the other two districts in the Kashmir Valley -Ganderbal and Budgam- and almost all the eleven segments of the Jammu region witnessed moderate to brisk polling in the second phase of the elections being held after a gap of ten years.
While 18 constituencies in Kangan, Ganderbal, Budgam Poonch, Rajouri and Reasi districts recorded an average 58.81 to 71.81 percent voter turnout, the eight segments of the Srinagar district clogged at mere 27.37 percent.
J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer Pandurang K. Pole, however, claimed that with an overall voter turnout of 56.05 percent across the 26 Assembly constituencies spread over six districts- three each of the Valley and Jammu region- surpassed the turnout recorded in Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year. He added that the polling was held peacefully without any incidents of violence reported from anywhere.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) said that the 56.05 percent was a “provisional” voter turnout figure recorded at 7 pm which will continue to be updated segment wise “as and when the polling parties formally close the poll and return from the polling stations based on the geographical and logistical conditions and after scrutiny of statutory papers and consideration of repolls, if any”.
A statement issued from Delhi quoted Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar as saying thirteen polling stations had been set up in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri close to the LoC fence. “Voting took place peacefully in 106 border polling stations near LOC in Poonch and Rajouri district. Thirteen of the polling stations had been set up across the fence,” he said. The officials said that all the 3,502 polling stations were equipped with a 100 percent webcasting facility.
The polling was held under tight security with thousands of well-equipped security personnel of the J&K police, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) Border Security Force (BSF) and Seema Shastra Bal (SSB) deployed at and outside the polling stations and at other vulnerable places to ensure peace. Officials said that more than 1,3000 polling staff took positions at 3,502 polling stations hours before the start of voting.
The opposition parties alleged that the police detained thousands of people, particularly youth, ahead of the polling. Former chief minister Omar Abdullah said, “They have used all the machinery of the government to detain and harass people. Despite it, people are coming and participating in the elections. So, this is not something the Government of India should be highlighting (by inviting foreign diplomats). But, anyway, that's the way they are.”
However, the J&K police asserted, “Only few mischievous elements with past conduct and proclivity of disrupting electoral process and having criminal antecedents are being dealt with and bound down under preventive sections of law following due procedure of law.” It added, “The preventive sections of law provide law enforcement agencies security for keeping peace and good behaviour. Legal measures duly reported are adhered to ensure a free and fair electoral process.”
In this phase, over 25.78 lakh voters were to decide the fate of 239 candidates including Mr. Abdullah, the JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra and his counterpart at the BJP’s state unit Ravinder Raina. While Mr. Abdullah is seeking election simultaneously from family turf Ganderbal and Budgam -both in the Kashmir Valley, Mr. Raina is hoping to retain the Nowshera seat in the frontier Rajouri district which he won in the 2014. Mr. Karra is fighting for Srinagar’s Shalteng seat as a candidate of the NC-Congress combine.
The other prominent faces in the fray are former ministers Syed Altaf Bukhari, Ali Muhammad Sagar, Abdul Rahim Rather, Asiea Naqash, Choudhary Zulfikar Ali and Syed Mushtaq Bukhari, former Speaker of the erstwhile J&K state Assembly Mubarak Gul and former Mayors of Srinagar.
In the Valley, the seats that went to voting are Kangan, Ganderbal, Hazratbal, Khanyar, Habba Kadal, Lal Chowk, Channapora, Zadibal, Eidgah, Shalteng, Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahib, Chrar-i-Sharief and Chadoora in the Valley and Gulabgarh, Reasi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi, Kalakote- Sunderbani, Nowshera, Rajouri, Budhal, Thannamandi, Surankote, Poonch Haveli and Mehdhar in the Jammu region.
Kangan, Gulabgarh, Rajouri, Budhal, Thannamandi, Surankote and Mendhar segments having sizable Gujjar, Bakarwal and Pahari populations are reserved Scheduled Tribe (ST) seats.