Moderate turnout was witnessed in four out of six assembly segments of southern Anantnag district, which went to polls in the third phase of general elections on Tuesday. These four segments have largely been the strongholds of National Conference and Congress.
The segments like Dooru, Kokernag and Shangus—traditionallyhigh voter turnout pockets and strongholds of Congress over a period oftime—recorded an overall turnout of 17.28 percent, 19.50 percent, and 15.10percent, respectively.
While Dooru was represented twice in the state assembly byCongress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir—the party’s candidate for the Anantnag LokSabha seat—another senior leader of the Congress party Peerzada Muhammad Sayeedwrested the Kokernag seat twice on the trot. However, in 2014, both of themlost to PDP by a narrow margin, primarily owing to the anti-incumbency factor.
At the same time, Congress had over the years made inroadsin the Shangus assembly segment and ultimately it won the seat in 2014,defeating PDP’s Peer Mansoor Hussain who had represented it earlier.
“Even though the turnout was not so high, but those who arecoming to polling booths are mostly the workers of Congress,” said most voterswho spoke to Greater Kashmir at a polling station set up in Government HighSchool in Dooru town.
A few voters who were sitting in a nearby playground joinedthe conversation.
“Votes are being polled in favor of both PDP and Congress.We supported PDP in the past elections and the party is again our firstchoice,” said a voter, who identified himself as Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh.
A total of 625 votes were polled by late afternoon, of 5653votes in nine polling booths set up in the school building.
The voting was brisk in higher belts of Dooru, Kapran andQamar areas, with Congress scoring over its rivals—both NC and PDP. Thesituation was almost same in Kokernag and Shangus segments, where the lowerbelts witnessed dismal to moderate voting, but the upper areas like Larnoo,Matigawran, Daksum, Ahlan, Gadole recorded brisk polling.
“Congress and NC voters have been making a beeline at thepolling booths,” said voters at Larnoo, expressing their excitement. However,they said the PDP might have walked away with its share in villages downstreamBrengi Nallah, in Kokernag.
Similarly, most of the areas in Shangus like Brakpora,Achabal, Shangus, Nowgam witnessed dismal to very low voter turnout.
However, many other areas like Gopalpora witnessed moderatevoting while the upper belts of Chatergul, Brimar Nersar, Chatapal recordedfairly good turnout.
Congress had a good vote share from Shangus in 2008 but lostby a very thin margin to PDP. Later, in 2014, the Congress wrested the seat andNC also performed better.
“This time it will be a close contest between Congress, NC,and PDP,” said Shakeel Ahmad, a student.
However, NC has an advantage in Pahalgam, where briskpolling was witnessed in Khowripora area and dismal to moderate voting inDochnipora belt.
Pahalgam town and its peripheries with equal vote share ofboth NC and PDP also voted in good numbers.
For Congress, the chances, many say, could have brightenedwith better turnout in its strongholds.