news details |
|
|
| Unprecedented security arrangements as Srinagar-Budgam LS polls being held today | | Eyes focused on Budgam, Ganderbal districts | | Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, Apr 29: As the election for Srinagar-Budgam Lok Sabha seat is being held tomorrow unprecedented security measures have been put in place by the administration so that the day passes off peacefully without any untoward incident taking place.
Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have erected barricades at many places in the Central Kashmir and are checking the people as well as vehicles entering into or leaving the areas falling under Central Kashmir. In the Srinagar district police and CRPF personnel could be seen stopping the people and carrying out random checking of people as well as vehicles.
Spread over three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, the Srinagar-Budgam Lok Sabha seat has always assumed centre stage when it comes to polls in the Kashmir valley. Although 14 candidates are in fray for this seat, but the real contest is between National Conference President, Dr. Farooq Abdullah and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Tariq Hamid Karra.
Out of the 15 Assembly segments in the Srinagar-Budgam Lok Sabha, National Conference has domination over the other parties. The party has 12 legislators followed by two belonging to PDP and Hakeem Mohammad Yasin of People’s Democratic Front who is the MLA from Khan Sahib in Budgam district.
National Conference has eight legislators from Srinagar district, two from Ganderbal district and two from Budgam district. The PDP has MLAs from Chadoora and Beerwah constituencies of Budgam district.
With hardly few hours left for the polling to begun all eyes will be focused on the voting pattern if it at all happens in the Srinagar city more so in downtown areas of the summer capital of the state. It seems history might get repeated in the Srinagar city and majority of the people may remain aloof from the poll process.
The eight assembly segments of the Srinagar district have witnessed unprecedented poll boycott since the elections for 1996 assembly were held. As the National Conference is the only party that has its workers at the ground level in the Srinagar district the party has been winning all the seats due to the low turnout. The opposition parties have yet to pose a serious challenge to National Conference in the summer capital of the state.
The Ganderbal district has been witnessing good poll percentage over the past few elections and this time too same may get repeated. It would remain to be seen as to how the parting of ways by National Conference leader, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat with the party would impact the overall voting pattern.
Chances of NC in the Ganderbal assembly segment have also been dented as it's another senior leader Sheikh Ghulam Ahmad Saloora is no more associated with the party. Saloora has since then launched his own party and this is bound to encroach upon the overall voting base of National Conference in this constituency. At the same time the party can bank upon the votes of Gujjar community in areas falling under the Kangan assembly segment in this district.
With five seats Budgam district may play a crucial role in the final run up to the result for the Srinagar-Budgam Lok Sabha seat. With both NC and PDP having two legislators each from this district it would be interesting to know how both these parties once people start pushing the button on the Electronic Voting Machines at the polling stations in the district.
It would be in place to mention here that the poll timing has been reduced by one hour with the same scheduled to end at 5 PM instead of 6 PM as was the case in the earlier phases of Lok Sabha elections. Wednesday's phase would be fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state with elections already being held for Jammu-Poonch, Udhampur-Doda and Anantnag-Pulwama on April 10, 17 and 24 respectively.
Following the blast during the National Conference rally at Khanyar on Sunday security has been tightened in all the three districts to ensure incident free polls. The authorities seem more worried about the security rather than overall voting percentage for this Lok Sabha seat. Separatist leaders have either been arrested or put under house arrest in order to ensure that they don't cause any trouble during the elections. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
