Early Times Report
JAMMU, Apr 23: Is the volatile and militant-infested Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency going the Congress way? If what happened in the six assembly segments on Tuesday's first phase is any indication, then it can be said that former J&K CM and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is in serious trouble.
That she could be in trouble became clear right in the morning. The polling stations in her hometown Bijbehara wore a deserted look throughout the day. However, in Doru and Kokarnag assembly segments, voters queued up outside polling booths. JKPCC chief belong to the Doru area and Kokarnag assembly segments also has a significant number of Congress voters. In Doru town, more than 4,000 voters voted in the first three hours and in Kokarnag more than 5,000 voters voted during the same period.
Doru recorded 14.98% voter turnout, while Kokernag registered 16.82% voter turnout till 3 p.m. The voter turnout in the Anantnag assembly segment was 2.3%, Shangus 13.5% and Pahalgam 18.13%
In contrast, in the hometown of Bijbehara, which was considered Mehbooba Mufti's stronghold, voters preferred to not venture out of their houses. Only a paltry 1.90% of the total registered voters voted till 3 p.m. It clearly suggested that the PDP has virtually become a pariah in the town known throughout the Valley as the town of late Mufti Sayeed and her daughter Mehbooba Mufti.
That only about 2% voters would go out to cast their votes in Bijbehara could be construed as a bad omen for the former CM, who left no stone unturned to woo the voters. She invoked Pakistan on a daily basis; she talked about the Pakistan's nuclear bombs and missed no opportunity to criticize PM Narendra Modi to strike a chord with her erstwhile voters and supporters.
The Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency has 16 assembly segments. On Tuesday, voters in the six assembly segments of Bijbehara, Kokernag, Anantnag, Shangus, Pahalgam and Doru. The last phase will be on May 6, the day the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency will vote. |
