The high-octane campaigning for all 24 Assembly constituencies spread across seven districts of Jammu and Kashmir came to a close on Monday evening with top leaders of the BJP, National Conference, Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, and a new entrant, the supremo of the Awami Ittehad Party making a last-minute effort to woo voters.
The candidates conducted roadshows and public meetings before winding up their two-week-long hectic campaigning ahead of the first round of polling on September 18.
The high-profile Assembly constituencies of Doda, Kishtwar, Banihal, Padder-Nagseni, Bhaderwah, Bijbehara-Srigufwara, Pulwama, and Kulgam are to be watched out in the first phase of polling in which over 23.27 lakh voters will decide the fate of 219 candidates in the fray.
Out of nine female candidates in the fray, five are contesting from the Kashmir division while four others are from the Jammu division.
Candidates fighting elections from the Kashmir division include 37-year-old Iltija Mufti, daughter of PDP Chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti from Bijbehara-Srigufwara constituency on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket, Afroza Bano as an independent from Kulgam and Sakeena Masood Itoo from D H Pora constituency on National Conference ticket. The political parties have deployed a large number of women cadres to reach out to the women voters in their respective constituencies.
Candidates contesting from the Jammu division include Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar on a BJP ticket, Meenakshi Bhagat on Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) from Bhaderwah, Meenakshi Kalra an independent candidate from Doda West, Pooja Thakur from Padder-Nagsani on NC ticket. 29-year-old Shagun Parihar is challenging former minister Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo of the National Conference while Pooja Thakur of NC is contesting against BJP organization secretary Sunil Sharma.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has fielded its youth leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra from the South Kashmir constituency of Pulwama.
He is fighting against Mohd Khalil Band of the National Conference. Parra unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls in May 2024. Another constituency of Pahalgam is witnessing a triangular contest between Altaf Ahmad Wani of the National Conference, Shabir Ahmed Sediqui of the PDP, and Rafi Ahmed Mir of JKAPNI.From Kulgam, CPI (M) leader Mohd Yusuf Tarigami is defending his turf for the fifth time in a row. Tarigami has won all four previous Assembly elections of 1996, 2002, 2008 and 2014. This time he is facing a tough challenge from an Independent candidate Sayar Ahmad Reshi supported by the banned Jammat-e-Islami.
The Kokernag Assembly segment, reserved as an ST category seat, is also witnessing an interesting contest between Zafar Ali Khatana of the National Conference and Haroon Rashid Khatana of the PDP. BJP has also fielded its candidate Roshan Hussain Shah Gojar.Six independent candidates are also in the fray from the reserved seat to try their luck.
According to official sources, out of 23.27 lakh voters 5.66 lakh youths are eligible to exercise their electoral franchise during Phase-I polling.
These 5.66 lakh young electors are between the age group of 18-29 and include 1,23,922 First Time Voters between the age of 18-19 years, with 65542 of them male and 58380 female electors. In Phase- I, 28,310 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and 15,774 voters above the age of 85 are eligible to cast their vote.
