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Campaign ends for first phase of J&K elections

By Our Staff Reporter

Former militant and independent candidate from Bandipora, Usman Majid, campaigning at Ajas in north Kashmir on the last day of campaigning on Saturday. — Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Mendhar Sept. 14. With the month-long campaign for the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir elections coming to an end today, the battlelines have been clearly drawn for the seven Assembly segments in the Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu region. The polls are to be held on September 16.

The two districts along the Line of Control saw hectic political campaigning largely in the urban areas. In the past, close electoral battles have been fought in these districts with more complex political equations than the Kashmir valley. The permutations and combinations here revolve around ethnicity, and the party consideration comes second.

Residents say that 10 years ago people from the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir also participated in the campaign. Some say that the people share close ties with those on the other side as they belong to the same ethnic stock.

Voter turnout will play a major role. The PCC president, Ghulam Nabi Azad, told The Hindu: "If there is low voter turnout, then the National Conference will benefit."

In all the seats — Surankote, Mendhar, Poonch Haveli, Kalakote, Rajouri, Nowshera, Dharhal — the main contest, as in the past, is between the Congress and the National Conference. But in some Assembly segments, independent candidates have made the contest even more interesting.

The candidates restricted themselves to small rallies and door-to-door campaign and kept away from some rural areas since the threat perception was high there. For example, in Surankote, which has an electorate of 87,641, there was no campaign in half of the places across the Suran river as the area has a high presence of militants.

Though there are 18 candidates in the fray in the Rajouri segment, only a few visited the interior areas. A resident of Thanna Mandi of Rajouri district says, " we will be lying if we say that we are not afraid. As the election day is approaching, apprehensions of further violence increase among the people."

The cancellation the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi's visit disappointed crowds gathered for rallies at Nowshera and Mendhar. The meetings were addressed by Mr. Azad and AICC general secretary, Ambika Soni. They urged the people to vote in large numbers and exercise their democratic right.

The National Conference president, Omar Abdullah, made a similar plea at Rajouri and Poonch saying, "it will be a fitting reply to those elements who want to intimidate the rural voters with violence."

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