| Campaigning in full swing in Baramulla constituency | | 15 candidates in fray ; Baig, Shariq main contestants | | Syed Tahir Bukhari
BARAMULLA, May 4: With one day remaining for electioneering, campaigning for the North Kashmir's Baramulla parliamentary constituency is in full swing. Fifteen candidates are in fray for this parliamentary seat with elections scheduled for May 7. The parliamentary constituency consists of 15 assembly segments Karnah, Kupwara, Lolab, Handwara, Langate, Uri, Rafiabad, Sopore, Gurez, Bandipora, Sonawari, Sangrama, Baramulla, Gulmarag and Pattan.
The main contest would be between National Conference-Congress alliance candidate, Sharief-ud-din Shariq and People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Muzaffar Hussain Beigh. During the polls 11, 90, 766 voters including 6, 22,632 male and 5, 66,460 female voters would be exercising their franchise across the parliamentary constituency.
This includes 5, 83,753 voters of Baramulla, 2, 11,967 voters of Bandipora and 3, 93,400 voters of Kupwara districts. There are 18,257 migrant voters included in these figures spread over the three districts of Baramulla 8307, Kupwara 8468 and Bandipora 1482. 1616 polling booths have been set up across the constituency at 1303 locations.
This includes 822 polling booths in Baramulla district, 531 polling booths in Kupwara district and 263 in Bandipora district. Moreover there are some volatile areas in North Kashmir like Sopore, Palhallan, Khanpora, Old Town Baramulla, Ajas, Safapora, Sumbal, Sonawari, Hajin, Trehgam, Zachaldara and Handwara. The recent thrashing of a youth by National Conference leader and Higher Education Minister, Mohammad Akbar Lone has not gone well with the youth of the constituency.
The youth said that Shariq has failed to come up to the expectations of the people in past. They said that they would not like this to happen since the development would be badly hit. "The performance of Shariq had remained dismal in the Parliament as he has perhaps spoken there only five times with no choice.
It is high time for the people of North Kashmir to vote for the right candidate who can represent them on every front. It is important to vote out elements who play politics for their own their benefit in the name of secularism, democracy and brotherhood," said the youth.
It would be in place to mention here that Shariq was defeated from Langate assembly constituency by Engineer Abdul Rashid in 2008 assembly. He fought the 2009 parliamentary elections and emerged victorious from the Baramulla-Kupwara Lok Sabha seat.
On the other hand Muzaffar Hussain Beigh won the assembly elections from Baramulla seat in 2008.
PDP supporters are confident that Beigh will win the parliamentary election and say that people want change and are tired of NC government and its representatives both in the assembly as well as parliament. |
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