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| Heavyweights trying their luck in 4th phase | | | Bashir Assad
ET Report
SRINAGAR, Dec 12: The fourth phase of the elections slated for December 14 will determine the fate of Chief Ministerial candidates of both People's Democratic Party and National Conference.
One hundred and eighty two candidates are in fray for 18 seats. PDP Patron and former Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is contesting from South Kashmir's Anantnag constituency, while as NC president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will be seeking election from Sonawar assembly segment in Srinagar district.
He also contested from Beerwah assembly seat in Budgam, which went to polls in the third phase on December 9.
NC holds all eight seats of Srinagar district and Vijaypur seat in Samba district of Jammu region.
PDP's rise, since its formation in 1999, has mostly been attributed to its good showing in elections in south Kashmir and some pockets of north Kashmir. However, the party is seeking to change that by making a strong push in Srinagar, considered to be bastion of National Conference.
Among the three ministers whose fate will be sealed on December 14, National Conference veteran Ali Mohammad Sagar will be seeking sixth straight term in the legislative assembly. Sagar has not lost an election since 1983.
The Rural Development Minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar is facing very tough fight from former trade union leader and PDP candidate Khursheed Alam in Khanyar constituency. Speaker of the Legislative assembly Mubarak Gul will be seeking fifth term from Idgah constituency in the city. He has won the last three elections and one in 1983. He was not fielded by the party in 1987.
Congress Ministers Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed and Ghulam Ahmad Mir too are facing the toughest election this time around in Kokernag and Dooru seats in Anantnag district respectively.
In prestigious Amira Kadal constituency, Omar's close confidant and provincial president of National Conference Nasir Aslam Wani is up against one of the richest men of Kashmir and PDP candidate Altaf Bukhari. The contest in this constituency has been made interesting by BJP candidate Hina Bhat, whose father Mohammad Shafi Bhat was a National Conference MLA in 1996.
Wachi and Shopian constituencies in south Kashmir are most likely to elect a first time MLA as all major political parties have fielded fresh faces from these two seats.
Wachi was represented by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti but she is not in the fray following her election to the Lok Sabha earlier this year.
In Shopian, which was also represented by PDP, the party has not given ticket to sitting MLA Abdul Razaq Zawoora.
There is only one former legislator in the fray, Mohammad Khalil Naik, in Wachi who had won in 2002 on a CPI(M) ticket. He is, however, contesting as an Independent candidate this time. The contest in Hazratbal and Habbakadal constituencies in the city will be keenly watched as Shameema Firdous of National Conference is seeking a second term from Habbakadal, which has been the focus of BJP's campaign in the Valley in view of substantial number of migrant votes. PDP has fielded journalist from this seat.
In Hazratbal, NC leader Mohammad Syed Akhoon is up against PDP's lone woman candidate Asiea Naqash. National Conference did not field sitting MLA and Omar's uncle Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal from this seat and instead gave mandate to Akhoon who has represented the constituency in 1996 and 2002.
The other key leader in the fray is PDP's Abdul Rehman Veeri who is seeking fourth straight term from Bijbehara constituency of Anantnag district.
More than 14.73 lakh voters, including 7.05 lakh women, are eligible to exercise their franchise at 1,890 polling stations set up in these 18 constituencies. |
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