The electoral process concluded in embattled Jammu & Kashmir on Wednesday as Baramulla and ladakh constituencies went to polls in the fifth and final phase recording moderate to high turnout. While the Baramulla constituency recorded 39.6 per cent turnout, the mountainous ladakh segment posted 64 per cent.
Unprecedented security arrangements were in place in volatile areas of Baramulla where many polling stations were relocated and clustered at highly fortified places away from the actual locations. The Sopore Assembly segment where curfew-like situation prevailed in the main town, recorded the lowest of 1.02 per cent turnout. However, long queues of voters were witnessed in border areas of Karnah, Uri, Kupwara and lolab segments where more than 65 per cent polling was recorded.
Chief Electoral Officer, Umag Narula, justified the unprecedented security arrangements in the backdrop of killing of a polling officer in Anantnag constituency on April 24. “Each election throws a different challenge. No polling officer has been killed in elections so far (in Kashmir),” he said.
The authorities have rounded up around 400 youngsters and separatist workers as a precautionary measure to ensure smooth polling process. Almost all leaders of the separatist groups have either been taken into custody or barred to come out of their residences.
The Baramulla constituency spread over three districts of Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara cosists of 15 assembly segments where ruling National Conference (NC) and Opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) hold sway. The People’s Conference and Awami Ittehad Party also commands influence on the electorate in Handwara and langate segments.
Observers say that out of 15 candidates in Baramulla, the main contest is between NC’s Sharifuddin Shariq and PDP’s Muzaffar Hussain Beigh. The NC has retained the seat in many parliamentary elections in the past. “If the Congress and NC supporters have cast their votes in favour of Shariq, he has a fair chance to cruise through but the cohesion in the alliance has not been much visible in all the constituencies”, said a senior journalist.
The separatists have congratulated people for observing “poll boycott”. Narula said that Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipore districts recorded 63.19, 25.04 and 35.65 percent votes. The overall percentage is around 2 percent less than the polling recorded in 2009 elections.
In ladakh, the voters exhibited enthusiasm to cast their votes. Sources said the polling day was like a festival in the region as voters thronged the polling booths in colourful attire to exercise their franchise. The divisional administration arranged several sorties to airlift poll material to various inaccessible portions of Kargil district.
Four candidates are in fray in ladakh, which is divided between Muslim dominated Kargil and Buddhist majority leh districts. The leh district has recorded a total of 64 percent turnout, 1.8 percent less than the turnout in Kargil. The ladakh verdict would be interesting to watch where BJP’s Thupstan Chewang and Congress candidate T Samphel are frontrunners. However, Congress rebel Ghulam Raza and NC backed Agha Syed Kazim Sabri can emerge dark horses in the backdrop of high voter turnout in Kargil and vertical division in leh votes.