Despite the call given by separatists to boycott the poll for Lok Sabha elections the call was unheeded in Baramulla and Kupwara segments which witnessed about 36 per cent polling. Over 33.17 lakh electors will decide the fate of 34 candidates in Jammu and Baramulla parliamentary constituencies, which will go to polls in the first phase on 11 April,. Expectedly Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri witnessed heavy polling. While the Jammu Lok Sabha seat is spread over 20 Assembly segments in Jammu, Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts, the Baramulla parliamentary constituency is spread over 15 Assembly segments of Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipora districts in north Kashmir. Except for Bandipore the other 14 Assembly segments witnessed soft polling. In Jammu, 20,05,730 voters including 10,40,876 males and 9,64,834 females have cast their votes at 2,740 polling stations to decide the political fortune of 24 candidates on April 11.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Jugal Kishore is seeking re-election from the Jammu parliamentary seat, while the Congress has fielded its senior vice president and former minister Raman Bhalla who is supported by the National Conference. Other prominent candidates include former BJP minister and founder of Dogra Swabhiman Sangathan Choudhary Lal Singh and National Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh.
Of the total 13,08,541 electors in the Baramulla seat, 6,74,417 are males, 6,34,083 females while 41 belong to the third gender. The constituency has 7,953 persons with disability (PwD) voters and 157 VVIP (Voter Verification and Information Programme) electors. For the smooth conduct of elections, the authorities have established 1,749 polling stations at 1,387 locations in the Baramulla constituency, Since the separatists has given a call for poll boycott in the valley the over all polling was witnessed poor. Despite this scenario the BJP also contested the Lok Sabha poll and it is definite that BJP will also contest Anantnag and Srinagar seats.
Returning Officer for Baramulla Parliamentary Constituency Dr GN Itoo informed that nine candidates are in the fray for the seat. Prominent among them are Haji Farooq Ahamd Mir of INC, Mohammad Maqbool War of BJP, Jahangir Khan of NPP, Abdul Qayoom Wani of PDP and Mohammad Akbar Lone of NC. Despite separatists call for poll boycott Bandipore, a part of Baramulla constituency witnessed heavy polling and was over 6.6 percent polling till 3 pm. It is great feat that Baramulla has been one among the BJP candidates. |
