In Bijbehara, deserted polling booths and ‘disinterested’ voters

Late Tuesday afternoon, Peoples Democratic Party President and its candidate for southern Kashmir seat Mehbooba Mufti walked out of the polling booth in Bijbehara, exuding confidence that she had fared better in the contest.

“We are confident to secure a win. My father has left alegacy in the form of workers and I trust them. They are my hope,” Mehboobasaid after casting her ballot at around 3pm.

   

Inside, a polling officer said, only 139 out of the total4400 registered votes had been cast in six booths that were housed in agovernment building. The polling agents of various political parties claimed ashare of the total votes polled.

In Mehbooba’s own booth, only 29 of 345 people had walked into exercise their electoral right.

This low voting didn’t surprise many, nor was it limited tothis centre only. Across Bijbehara, the home town of Mehbooba, and AnantnagAssembly constituency, the voting percentage was 2.75 per cent: 2.04 per centin Bijbehara and 3.47 in Anantnag.

BOOTH NO. 34

Election to Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, spread overfour districts—Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama—is being conducted inthree phases. This is unprecedented in electoral history of any state. Thedecision was taken after the Election Commission of India (ECI) firstrescheduled and then altogether cancelled by-polls to the seat which hadremained vacant for almost three years since April 2016.

Today was the first phase of the election, in which Anantnagdistrict comprising six Assembly segments went to polls. In Bijbehara,constituency Booth No. 34 was the centre of attention since early morning. Ithad been set up for voters from Baba Mohalla, a locality where Muftis and theirrelatives have lived for decades.

Fighting the most crucial electoral battle of her politicalcareer, the PDP President would have normally counted on support from theelectorate there. Her workers were upbeat in the morning. But as the day woreon, excitement faded into disappointment and ultimately the day ended with uglyscenes, as polling agents of rival parties, PDP, National Conference andCongress accused each other of indulging in bogus voting.

At one point, the verbal brawl turned into a physical fightand the paramilitary CRPF and police had to intervene to stop situation fromgoing out of control.

“They (PDP) had got some burqa-clad women to cast bogusvotes. When we objected they raised hue and cry,” alleged NC’s polling agentGhulam Hassan. The PDP agent accused the NC of indulging in bogus voting.

Abdul Rashid, Assistant Returning Officer at the center,said he has ordered for a report from his subordinate over the incident.

The polling time had been cut by two hours amid largedeployment of the security forces. At the closure of the voting, the totalnumber of votes cast at the Booth No 34 was 32, of total 345 votes.

A mere 167 people, out of the registered 4354 voters, hadvoted in six polling booths.

“We are not going to gain anything out of boycott. Thishasn’t achieved us anything in the past,” said an elderly man after casting hisvote.

Making his political affiliations public he said he votedfor Mehbooba. “She suffered a lot for us. We should give her another chance,”he said.

But a youth, Hilal Ahmad, who said he shifted his loyaltiesfrom PDP to NC ahead of elections, countered the elderly man who was wearing askull-cap.

“Who brought BJP to Kashmir? Have you forgotten toffee andmilk remark? Leave aside the larger issues. My family had been loyal to PDP. Ialong with local youth managed the biggest rally for Mehbooba Mufti in 2014elections in Bijbehara. But what did I get. An FIR and a hollow promise ofjob,” he said.

ACROSS THE CONSTITUENCY

Since 1996, Muftis and PDP have never lost the Assemblysegment of Bijbehara. In the recent elections, supporters and workers of PDPhave come out to vote for the party. This time, the enthusiasm was missingamong the PDP workers too across the constituency.

Mehbooba is facing challenge from Congress’ GA Mir and NC’sHasnain Masoodi, a retired judge. While Congress doesn’t have support base inBijbehara, NC has pockets of influence. In Veeri, one of several villages inthe constituency, the polling agents talked about a close fight between PDP’sAR Veeri and NC’s Bashir Ahmad Veeri.

An old man who cast his vote at a polling booth thereproudly showed indelible ink mark on his finger. “Why should I hide it? I havenever missed to cast my vote,” he said.

Outside many polling booths, people, mostly the elderly,attributed this disinterest to the “blunder committed by the PDP of shakinghands with BJP”.

“There is also anger among people that the party has donenothing for its workers who stood by it in testing times,” said a man in hismid 40s outside the polling booth in Saraf Mohalla. Only 25 of the total 5980votes were cast at four booths set up inside a polling station there.

IN ANANTNAG, MISSING POLLING AGENTS AND DESERTED BOOTHS

Most of the voting centres in Anantnag were like that inBijbehara.

“Why should we vote and for whom shall we vote. Do theydeserve out vote?” said Mohammad Subhan, who was coming out of a lane oppositeto a polling booth in Wanihama, Dialgam. Of the 1035 voters registered there,none had turned up till late afternoon.

As the conversation went on, the man opened up. “I will tellyou the truth. I was a staunch voter of PDP. But look what happened in 2016,”said Subhan. According to him only PDP had a support base in the village. “Buttoday things are evident,” he said.

Much to the surprise of voters, even the polling agents ofparties were missing at several booths in the Anantnag constituency. In sixpolling booths set up inside Government Women’s College Anantnag, PDP had apolling agent in only one booth. The NC had none.

“I don’t know the reason,” the only PDP polling agent toldme about missing party agents in other booths.

Even BJP had managed to get polling agents for the maximumnumber of booths – some of them were bused from Srinagar and Pulwama. Of themore than 4350 votes, only 37 votes had been polled in the afternoon.

At several booths across the constituency, people talkedabout Congress securing the lead, crediting the former candidate for theconstituency Hilal Shah for the “turnaround”.

“He has been concentrating on the constituency and hasnurtured several pockets like Khanbal in Anantnag town and villages likeSeepan, Batpora, Nandpora, Pushwara, Munward, Behramsha Kehreebal andRambirpora,” said a youth.

The constituency was represented by Mehbooba in the lastAssembly and the party has won three consecutive state elections since 2008.

“Don’t expect any more votes here. Whosoever had to vote didin the morning,” said a youth who sat with his friends outside the pollingbooth on the pavement.

“If such is the scenario (about low voting in Anantnag) whatwill be the situation in Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian,” he said.

DESERTED POLLING BOOTHS

A village in Bijbehara, Mahand, along the Bijbehara-Pahalgamroad, witnessed zero voting in the third consecutive election. None of theregistered 2000 voters turned up.

But Mahand wasn’t the only polling booth that scored zero.In three polling booths of Kanalwaen village, none of the 3000 registeredvoters came out to vote.

Other villages where nobody turned up at the booths includeHadigam, Budroo K-Kalan, Bewoora, Sadkipora, Kaato, Hugam, and Marhama, all inBijbehara.

A source said at least 42 villages in Bijbehara witnessed zero percent voting while nine booths in Anantnag including Pethbug, Wanihama-A & B, Cheedipora, Hanji, Dantar, Dialgam-A & B and Kandipora recorded zero percent voting.

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