Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 28: The Election Commission today set into motion the five phase election process in Jammu and Kashmir by issuing notification for 15 Assembly constituencies, which will go to polls in first phase including all four seats of Ladakh region.
Meanwhile, the administration has worked out contingency plan for airlifting poll parties and security personnel in upper reaches of all three regions to ensure that voting was not affected in any constituency despite harsh weather conditions, which have already set-in in several areas of Ladakh and Kashmir and will intensify when polling starts with first phase on November 24.
Authorities have, however, assured the Election Commission that snowfall or other adverse weather conditions will not impact turnout as polling stations have been located in such a manner in mountainous areas of the State that despite snowfall the people would be able to reach polling booths.
“We will only need airlifting of polling staff and para-military personnel to the areas, which would become inaccessible by the middle of November. The list of all such polling stations in all three regions of the State has been prepared. The polling parties along with election material and para-military and police personnel will be airlifted well in advance in all such polling stations in three regions,” sources said, adding maximum airlifting will be required in four Assembly constituencies of Ladakh region including Leh, Nobra, Kargil and Zanskar, which will go to polls in first phase on November 25 for which the Returning Officers issued the notification today.
In Jammu region, some polling stations of Kishtwar and Poonch district will need airlifting of men and material while in Kashmir, Kupwara, Bandipora and couple of other districts would require airlifting of polling staff and security personnel.
“A final touch has been given to the contingency plan,” sources said.
Though the BJP has not officially declared its list of candidates, party leader Tsering Dorjey, former Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) of Leh today obtained nomination form for Leh segment while an Independent candidate Riaz Ahmad Zargar son of Din Mohammad Zargar of Kilotran got the papers for Bhaderwah constituency.
For first phase of polling on 15 seats, the candidates can file their nomination papers up to November 5 before designated ROs while scrutiny of nominations will be held on November 7. The candidates can withdraw their nomination papers till November 10. Voting will be held on November 25, counting on December 23 and entire election process will be completed by December 29.
For six Assembly constituencies of erstwhile Doda district now comprising three districts of Doda, Ramban and Banihal, the Election Commission has designated one RO for each segment apart from AROs before whom the candidates can file their nomination papers.
Six ROs for six segments of erstwhile Doda district included Mohammad Hanief Malik, Additional DC Kishtwar (Kishtwar segment), Sudershan Kumar, ACR Kishtwar (Inderwal segment), Bhupinder Kumar, SDM Bhaderwah (Bhaderwah segment), Subash Dogra, ACR Doda (Doda segment), Nawab Din, ADC Ramban (Banihal segment) and Tahir Hussain, ACR Ramban (Ramban segment).
The ROs designated for four seats of Ladakh region are Ghulam Ahmad Khan, ACR Leh (Leh segment), Ravinder Kumar, SDM Nobra (Nobra segment), Mohammad Syed Khan, ACR Kargil (Kargil segment) and Mosese Kunzang, Additional DC Kargil (Zanskar segment).
The Election Commission has also issued notification for five Assembly segments of Kashmir Valley including Gurez, Bandipora and Sonawari in Bandipora district, Ganderbal and Kangan in Ganderbal district.
A lot is at stake for Congress in erstwhile Doda district, where the coalition partner of NC holds five out of six seats including Ramban, Banihal, Doda, Bhaderwah and Inderwal. Only Kishtwar seat is held by NC candidate and MoS Home Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo. The PDP and BJP presently hold no seat though the BJP has displayed its strength in May’s Lok Sabha elections securing handsome number of votes from all six seats excepting Banihal despite the fact that Congress heavyweight Ghulam Nabi Azad, who hails from Bhaderwah, was contesting the election with the support of NC.
Azad had lost Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat to Dr Jitendra Singh, presently MoS in PMO with over 60,000 votes.
Of 15 seats going to polls in first phase, Chief Minister and NC’s working president Omar Abdullah holds Ganderbal though he hasn’t taken any decision so far on the seat he would contest this time, Forest Minister Mian Altaf represents Kangan, Higher Education Minister Mohammad Akbar Lone (Bandipora), Urban Development Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora (Leh), CM’s Advisor Qamar Ali Akhoon (Kargil), R&B Minister Abdul Mujeed Wani (Doda), Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mohammad Sharief Niaz (Bhaderwah), MoS Home Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo (Kishtwar), MoS Power Vikar Rasool (Banihal), MoS Animal and Sheep Husbandry Nazir Ahmed Gurezi (Gurez) and MoS Education Feroz Khan (Zanskar).
Of 15 seats going to polls, Cong holds 6 (5 in erstwhile Doda district and one in Leh), NC 8 (one in Kishtwar, two in Bandipora, two in Ganderbal, two in Kargil and one in Leh district) and PDP 1 (Bandipora Main). BJP holds no seat in these 15 segments though the party had led in Leh and had marginal deficit in Ramban, Kishtwar and Nobra Assembly segments in April-May Lok Sabha elections this year. The BJP votes in these constituencies apart from Doda and Bhaderwah were very significant as NC-Congress had contested Lok Sabha elections in alliance while now the two parties are pitted against each other.
Omar had regained Ganderbal seat in 2008 Assembly election after losing it to PDP in 2002. Mian Altaf will be trying his luck for 5th term as he had been winning Kangan seat since 1987. Mujeed Wani (Doda), Mohammad Akbar Lone (Bandipora), Rigzin Jora (Leh), Ghulam Mohammad Saroori (Inderwal), Sajjad Kitchloo (Kishtwar) and Nazir Ahmad Gurezi (Gurez) will be trying for hat-trick as they had won the seats for two consecutive terms in 2002 and 2008 but would be facing tough fight this time from their opponents.
Bhaderwah Assembly segment is also very prestigious as it was won by former Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, presently Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha in 2008 and 2006 (by election) with massive margin. In 2002, Azad’s cousin, Mohammad Sharief Niaz had won the seat. He had retained the seat in 2009 by-election after Azad vacated the seat while shifting to Rajya Sabha.
Qamar Ali Akhoon (Kargil) had also regained the seat in 2008 after losing it to Haji Nissar Ali in 2002. Similar was the case with Tsetan Namgyal (Nobra). Feroz Khan had, however, made maiden entry to the Assembly in 2008 elections.
Ramban has changed the candidate in the past three elections. While Bali Bhagat (BJP) had won the seat in 1996, Chaman Lal (NC) wrested it in 2002 and Ashok Kumar of Congress bagged it in 2008. Similar is the history of Banihal which was won by Independent Mohammad Farooq Mir in 1996, Moulvi Abdul Rashid (Independent) in 2002 and Vikar Rasool Wani (Congress) in 2008.
The ruling National Conference (NC) is yet to decide on the mandates for three constituencies out of 15 going to polls in Phase-I
Out of these 15 constituencies, the NC has not given mandates in three Assembly seats – Ganderbal, currently represented in the State legislature by NC working president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Bandipora and Inderwal.
National Conference has released three lists of mandates so far and there are still many constituencies including three – Hazratbal, Sonwar and Zadibal – in Srinagar district, where candidates have not been finalised yet.
The party has not yet decided on the seat for Omar and though the leadership was divided over Ganderbal and Sonwar, the NC working president may ultimately fight the battle from the family’s traditional bastion Ganderbal in central Kashmir.
The party said the process of finalising the mandates for the remaining constituencies was delayed because of the devastating floods that hit the State last month.
The party even expressed its reservations to holding the elections on time and was in favour of delaying the process citing rehabilitation of the flood-affected people as a reason.
It said the focus of the Government would shift from rehabilitation to the elections.
However, the party finally decided to give in as the ECI decided to conduct elections on time and announced the poll dates.
As the process has been set in, the party does not have much time, with the date of voting less than a month away.
The workers in these constituencies do not know for whom to campaign and so the preparations for the polls have been delayed.
“We do not yet know who will fight from here. How could we make preparations for the elections,” Abdul Hameed Mir, a party worker from Ganderbal, said.
He said the workers of the constituency had informed the party leadership of not nominating any other candidate except Omar from Ganderbal, but the party, he said, was still undecided about the candidate.
National Conference is not alone when it comes to finalising mandates. Its coalition partner, Congress, and the opposition BJP are yet to take a call on any assembly constituencies.
Both the parties say, they would announce the mandates in a few days.
“The candidates would be announced within a couple of days. We are working on it,” Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, President Saif-ud-Din Soz said.
BJP said the party leadership was in touch with the State leaders and meetings were on to decide the candidates.
“The meetings are going on and the list would be out in a few days,” BJP’s Kashmir spokesman, Khalid Jehangir, said.
In Gurez constituency Nazir Ahmad Khan of National Conference defeated Congress candidate Faqir Ahmad Khan by a margin of over 700 votes. Nazir Khan polled 5817 votes and Faqir Khan 5085.
In Bandipora constituency Nizamudin Bhat of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defeated Congress candidate Usman Majid by a margin of over 800 votes. Bhat polled 13051 votes and Usman 12231.
In Sonawari constituency Mohammad Akbar Lone of NC defeated his nearest rival and independent candidate Abid Hussain Ansari by a margin of over 12, 000 votes. Lone polled 20108 votes and Ansari 7951 votes.
In Kangan constituency Mian Altaf Ahmad of NC defeated his nearest rival Bashir Ahmad Mir of PDP by a margin of over 8000 votes. Ahmad polled 19210 votes and Bashir Ahmad Mir polled 11495 votes.
In Ganderbal constituency NC candidate and present Chief Minister Omar Abdullah defeated PDP candidate Qazi Mohammad Afzal by a margin of over 8000 votes. Omar polled 16519 votes and Qazi 8304 votes.
In Nobra constituency independent candidate, Tsetan Namgyal, defeated Congress candidate Tsewag Rigzin by a margin of over 930 votes. Namgyal polled 4608 votes and Rigzin 3678 votes.
In Leh Constituency Congress candidate, Nawang Rigzin, defeated Independent candidate Tupstan Chhewang by a margin of around 2000 votes. Rigzin 19008 votes and Tupstan Chhewang 17485.
In Kargil Constituency NC candidate, Qamar Ali Akhoon, defeated Independent candidate Haji Nissar Ali by a margin of around 5000 votes. Akhoon polled 22935 votes and Ali 17635 votes.
In Zanskar constituency Feroz Ahmad Khan of NC defeated his nearest rival and Congress candidate Ghulam Raza by a margin of around 1000 votes. Khan polled 6552 votes and Raza 5634 votes.
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