The twin districts of Shopian and Pulwama in Anantnag parliamentary constituency and the two districts of Ladakh are going to polls Monday in the fifth phase of LokSabha elections.
While the polling staff in all the poll bound districts weredispatched to their designated polling stations on Sunday, the pollingofficials deployed in Shopian’sWachi assembly segment were airlifted fromShopain town to Zainpora.
A police official told Greater Kashmir that 81 additionalcompanies of paramilitary forces were called in for the smooth conduct ofpolling in troubled Shopian and Pulwama districts.
The Shopian district sprawls over Shopian and Wachi assemblysegments with the total number of 171,216 electorate including 89,868 males and81,227 females.
A total number of 245 polling stations— 127 in Shopianconstituency and 118 in Wachi constituency— were set up in the district.
District Election Officer, ShopianDrOwais Ahmad in astatement said that 127 poll parties were sent to 36-Shopian assembly segmentand 118 to 35- Wachi assembly segment.
He said that eight model polling stations were also set upin the district.
An official told Greater Kashmir that the polling staffalong with election material for 39 polling stations located in restive Wachiconstituency were airlifted from District Police Lines to Zainapora.
“From Zainpora the polling staff was sent to theirrespective polling stations amid stringent security arrangements along theroad,” he said.
The Pulwama district is spread across four assembly segmentsincluding Pulwama, Tral, Rajpora and Pampore. The district has 351,314 voters. Of them 181,259 are males and 169, 508are females.
An official at Pulwama said that a total number of 450polling stations were set up across the district. “Of them 110 pollingstations are set up in Pulwama and 111 in Tral assembly constituencies even asPampore and Rajpora segments have 107 and 122 polling stationsrespectively,” the official said.
District Election Officer Dr Syed Abid Rashid Shah in a statementsaid a total number of 1900 polling personnel were dispatched to all fourassembly constituencies for the smooth conduct of elections.
The elections for the two legs of the AnantnagLokSabha seatwere already held on April 23 and April 29.
A total number of 18 candidates are scrambling for theprestigious AnantnagLokSabha seat.
The contenders include Justice HasnainMasoodi of NationalConference, Mehbooba Mufti of Peoples Democratic Party, SofiYousuf ofBhartiyaJanta Party, Ghulam Ahmad Mir of Congress party, Nisar Ahmad Wani ofNational Panthers Party, ChoudaryZaffar Ali of Jammu and Kashmir People’sConference, Sanjay Kumar Dhar of ManavAdhikar Party, Surindra Singh ofPragatisheelSamajWasi Party (Lohia) and Independent candidates Imtiyaz Ahmad Rather,RidwanaSanam, Riyaz Ahmad Bhat,ZubairMasoodi, Shams Khawaja, Ali MohdWani,Kaysir Ahmad Sheikh, Manzoor Ahmad Khan and MirzaSajadHussain.
The voters, according to a poll official, could cast theirballot from 7 am to 4 pm in Pulwama and Shopian districts.
The main contest in the last leg of polling is seen betweenthe National Conference and PDP candidates.
In 2014 general elections, the seat was won by PDP candidateMehbooba Mufti. She, however, resigned in 2016 after taking over as the ChiefMinister of state
LADAKH
The two districts of Leh and Kargil in the cold desert ofLadakh are also going to polls today.
Spread over four assembly segments Kargil, Zanaskar, Nubraand Leh, the parliamentary constituency has total number of 174,618voters. Of them 86752 are males while85,064 are females.
According to an official statement, a total number of 559polling stations were set up across the constituency.
“Of them 265 polling stations were set up in Kargildistrict while 294 poll stations were established in Leh district,” thestatement said.
The highest polling station, Alay Pho (Changthang),according to the statement, was set up in Leh district at an altitude of 15,000feet near Line of Actual Control.
District Election Officer Leh, AvnyLavasa in a statementsaid that 172 polling parties along with poll material were dispatched to theirdesignated to polling stations.
He said that 49 polling stations would have the all femalestaff.
Similarly, in another statement, District Election OfficerKargil, BaseerulHaqChoudary said that polling parties with election materialwere departed from Khree Sultan Chow stadium to their respective pollingstations in Kargil.
For the LadakhLokSabha seat, there are four candidates inthe fray. RigzinSpalbar is contesting on Congress party’s ticket whileJamyangTseringNamgayal is BhartiyaJanta Party candidate for the seat.
PDP and National Conference did not field their candidatesand extended their support to independent candidate SajjadKargili.
Former Congress party lawmaker Asgar Ali Karbalai is alsocontesting the election as an in independent candidate.
Kargili is supported by influential Islamia School whileKarbalia enjoys the support of Imam Khomaini Trust.
While both the Congress and the BJP candidates have a strongvoter base in Buddhist dominated Leh, Kargili and Karbali bank on Shia majorityKargil for their votes.
In 2014, the seat was won by BJP candidate ThupstanChewang.He, however, resigned in December 2018 citing that the BJP had “failed” to keepits poll promise of providing Ladakh the status of Union Territory. Chewangalso resigned from the basic membership of the BJP.