Campaigning ends for second-phase polls Campaigning ends for second-phase polls • 15.35 lakh people eligible to vote in 18 constituencies • 4 ministers among 175 candidates in the fray Press Trust of India Srinagar, Nov 30: After a high turnout in the first phase, the high-voltage campaigning for the second leg of Assembly elections on December 2 in nine seats in Kashmir and as many in Jammu ended Sunday, with several high-profile candidates trying their luck at the hustings. Among the candidates in the fray are four ministers of the state: Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Choudhary Mohammed Ramzan (Handwara), Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo (Noorabad), Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mir Saifullah (Kupwara) and Minister of State for Revenue Aijaz Khan (Gool Arnas). The campaign fever had heightened in this leg after around 70 percent voting in 15 seats during the first phase. Out of the 18 seats which will go to polls, ruling National Conference had six seats, Congress three, PDP four, JKNPP two, BJP one, CPI(M) one and Independent one. A total of 15.35 lakh people are eligible to vote in the 18 constituencies where 175 candidates are in the fray. While political observers are keenly watching the polling pattern in all the nine constituencies in the Valley, the Handwara constituency in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district will draw special attention. National Conference candidate from Handwara Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzan is seeking a fifth term having won all elections since 1983 except the 2002 polls while Sajad Lone is contesting his maiden Assembly election from the seat. Lone, whose father Abdul Gani was a three-time MLA before joining the separatist ranks when militancy erupted, broke off from the ranks in 2009 and contested the Lok Sabha polls that year but came a distant third. The senior Lone had represented Handwara constituency thrice from 1967 to 1983. He also won in the 1983 Assembly elections but from Karnah seat of the district. The junior Lone, whose elder brother Bilal is an executive member in the moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference, will be banking on immense goodwill his father enjoyed in Handwara and its adjoining areas to sail through. In a surprise move, Lone met Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month saying the BJP leader came across as an “elder brother”. What did not come as a surprise was BJP not fielding a candidate from Handwara. Ghulam Mohiuddin Sofi won as an Independent in the 2002 elections which was seen as a result of covert support extended to him by Lone, which led to a vertical split in Hurriyat Conference in 2003 as senior separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani accused Lone of fielding proxy candidates. Sofi completes the triangle of the contest for Handwara seat as he is the PDP candidate. There are three sitting MLAs, including CPI (M) face in Jammu and Kashmir Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, seeking a fourth consecutive term during Tuesday’s polling. Tarigami first came to prominence in 1996 when he was elected from the Kulgam assembly segment in south Kashmir. He won again in 2002. After two comfortable wins, Tarigami had some nervous moments on the counting day in 2008 elections as he prevailed over the PDP candidate by just 236 votes on the back of migrant votes which overturned the deficit. With PDP sweeping the south Kashmir in Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, the party candidate from Kulgam Nazir Ahmad Laway is hoping for a win. NC has fielded Imran Nabi Dar from the seat. He is the son of Ghulam Nabi Dar who was killed in a grenade attack in 2006. Contesting on NC ticket, Ghulam Nabi emerged victorious twice in 1977 and 1983 elections. National Conference candidates from Karnah and Kupwara — Kafeelur Rehman and Mir Saifullah respectively — are also seeking a fourth consecutive term from their respective seats. In the Noorabad constituency of south Kashmir, Social Welfare Minister and National Conference candidate Ittoo will be hoping that the LS poll results will not have much of an effect in the Assembly elections. She had won from Noorabad in 1996 but lost in 2002. She wrested the seat again in the 2008 polls. Besides Ittoo, Deputy Speaker and PDP candidate from Devsar seat is seeking a third consecutive term. His party colleague and candidate from Homshalibugh Abdul Gaffar Sofi has won the past two elections and will be hoping for a hat-trick this time. Firebrand Independent MLA from Langate Abdul Rashid Sheikh, who was also seen as a proxy of Sajad Lone in the 2008 elections, will be hoping that he can retain the seat on his own this time. Sheikh, who took on the government on several issues including the hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, started his term by extended issue-based support to the Omar Abdullah-led government. He had won by a slender margin of 260 votes in 2008. National Conference stalwart Shariefuddin Shariq is not contesting the elections as the party has fielded little-known Wali Mohammad while PDP’s Mohammad Sultan Pandithpori, who was the runners-up six years ago, is also out of way due to ill health. The party has fielded his brother Ghulam Nabi Panditpori from the segment. The campaigning for the second phase saw many political bigwigs addressing rallies including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who held two rallies in Udhmapur and Poonch and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi who addressed a rally in Poonch. Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a rally in Kashmir. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also held several rallies. While BJP led by Modi raised the issue of corruption, dynastic politics and development, it remained silent on the controversial issues of abrogation of Article 370. The party released a vision document in which it tried to woo Kashmiri Pandits by promising to reserve three seats for the community displaced from the Valley due to militancy. Ruling National Conference said it would oppose any attempt to “tamper” with Article 370 of the Constitution, which grants special status to the state, and press for the reversal of “erosion” of the constitutional provision over the years. Congress promised equitable development of the three regions of the state and said it will constitute two fully empowered regional councils. It said separate development councils operating under the umbrella of regional councils, one for Chenab Valley and another for Peer Panchal Valley, will be set up. The party also promised review of cases of detainees not involved in grave offences. PDP, meanwhile, promised to pursue ‘Self Rule’ as framework for resolution of Kashmir, besides effective governance to fight corruption and rebuild the state economy. It also talked about economic and social integration of the region around Jammu and Kashmir by setting up Regional Free Trade Area and common economic market. Except Congress none of the major parties had released manifesto before the first phase. Though the campaigning for the second leg passed off peaceful, security arrangements have been tightened following a militant attack in Arnia on November 28 in which 10 people lost their lives and a grenade attack in Srinagar yesterday in which eight people were injured. PTI
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 10:12:35 +0000
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