Comprehensive security arrangements have been put at place in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district slated to go for polls on Monday (April 29) in the second leg of three-phased schedule for Anantnag Parliamentary constituency. The district is spread over four Assembly segments comprising Noorabad, Kulgam, Hom ShaliBugh and Devsar.
The Inspector General of Police Kashmir zone, Swayam PrakashPani, while talking to Greater Kashmir said, “Elaborate and comprehensivesecurity arrangements will remain in place across the district on the poll dayto ensure incident free polling.”
Another official said that top Police and CRPF officialsconducted an extensive tour of the district on Saturday. The district isconsidered “sensitive” on law and order front. “The top officials gave finaltouches to the security plan drafted for the district after holding thoroughdeliberations with the forces deployed on the ground,” the official added.
A senior officer of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) saidthat south Kashmir districts pose a challenge, but “all the measures have beentaken to ensure the smooth poling in Kulgam.” He disclosed that over 100companies of additional forces will remain deployed in Kulgam on poll day in”various layers”—a separate layer of joint parties for protection of pollingbooths, another one for dealing with the law and order challenges, and thethird one for “preventing the militant designs to disrupt the polls.”
Police have categorized the polling stations in “criticaland very critical zones”, 90 per cent of the polling booths in Kulgam districtfall in hyper-sensitive category while remaining ten per cent have beendeclared sensitive, a source revealed.
According to an official spokesman, over 3.45 lakh electorsare expected to exercise their franchise in the Kulgam district.
The voters include 179,607 males, 164,604 females, 1262service electors (1254 male and eight female) and 13 transgender.
For smooth polling, the ECI has set up 433 polling stationsacross the district,” he said.
There are 18 candidates in the fray that include HasnainMasoodi of National Conference, Sofi Yousuf of Bhartiya Janta Party, GhulamAhmad Mir of Indian National Congress, Mehbooba Mufti of Jammu Kashmir People’sDemocratic Party, Nisar Ahmad Wani of Jammu & Kashmir National PanthersParty, Choudhary Zaffar Ali of Jammu Kashmir People’s Conference, Sanjay KumarDhar of Manav Adhikar Party, Surinder Singh of Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party(Lohia) and Imtiyaz Ahmad Rather, Ridwana Sanam, Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, ZubairMasoodi, Shams Khwaja, Ali Muhammad Wani, Gh Muhammad Wani, Kyasir AhmedSheikh, Manzoor Ahmad Khan and Mirza Sajad Hussain Beigh, all independents.
The spokesman said that Kulgam Assembly segment has thehighest number of 98,298 voters (51,051 males, 46,818 females, 455 servicevoters and 4 transgender voters) while as Noorabad has the lowest 77,171electors, including 40,093 males, 36,886 females, 188 service voters and 4transgender voters.
Assembly segment of Devsar has 91288 voters (47467 males,43324 females, 492 service voters and five transgender voters), and HS Bughsegment has 78669 voters (40996 males, 37576 females and 127 service voters).
Pertinently, Anantnag district of Anantnag Lok Sabhaconstituency went to polls in the third phase on April 23 recording 13.6 percent polling with “some stray incidents of stone pelting in the evening.”
The voting timing has been fixed from 7 am to 4 pm in thedistrict. Pulwama and Shopian districts are going to polls on May 6.
Campaigning ends
“The election campaigning in Kulgam district came to anend this evening, but will continue in Pulwama and Shopian districts which arealso part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency,” an election officialsaid.
He said the electioneering in the district remained by andlarge peaceful.
Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency is spread over fourdistricts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama with 16 assembly segments.The Lok Sabha polls to this constituency are being held in three phases due tosecurity reasons. Anantnag district went to polls on 23 April, while voting inPulwama and Shopian districts will be held on 6 May.