news details |
|
|
| Acid test for separatists as Kupwara goes to polls today | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Nov 29: Even as contenders race against each other to reach the Legislative Assembly, as five constituencies of Kupwara district go to polls tomorrow in third phase, it will be the most intense battle of ideas between separatists and the mainstream political parties.
Kupwara is the home ground of Peoples Conference led by Sajjad and Bilal Lone but their sister Shabnam Lone is also in the fray defying separatist diktats of poll boycott. The National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and the Congress are facing a large number of independent contestants where separatists are making all out efforts to see that voter turnout does not go high.
Since the separatists had to eat a humble pie following no response from voters to their call for poll boycott during the two phases of polling tomorrow's voting in the five constituencies of Kupwara district would test the strength of both the moderates and the hardliners in the separatist camp. Tomorrow's polling is to be held in Karnah, Langet, Handwara, Lolab and Kupwara constituencies and these belts have, in the past been safe sanctuaries for militants and separatist leaders. The separatists have started a door to door campaign for motivating voters on staying indoors on Sunday so that these constituencies witnessed very poor polling.
In 2002 election it was only in Langate constituency, where just over 30 per cent votes polled their votes,in the remaining four constituencies the polling percentage ranged between 45 and 53 per cent.Kupwara constituencies recorded a polling percentage of 53.15 per cent despite the call for poll boycott given by the separatists.
Election experts re of the view that voters in these five constituencies many not full respond to the boycott call because of the dissensions in the separatist camp. Chairman Peoples' Conference Sajjad Lone holds influence in the district but he has already fallen out with Syed Ali Shah Geelani over the latter's remarks that the former had fielded candidates by proxy.As such Lone may try hard to secure support of voters for boycotting polling.But field reports say that he too may not succeed fully because people are desperate in seeing an elected Government installed in the state.
Official sources said that the entire Kupwara district would be sealed for separatists who may attempt at leading a peoples' march to the five constituencies.A police officer today said that the purpose of preventing separatists from disrupting the poll process was to provide a peaceful atmosphere for the voters so that they decided themselves whether to cast their vote or not.He said the Government agencies have been asked not to use any force for motivating people to vote
The five constituencies in north Kashmir's Kupwara district have 341,004 voters, including 163,144 women.
Authorities said Saturday that fool-proof security arrangements were in place for Sunday's poll.
"For the five assembly constituencies of Kupwara, Karnah, Lolab, Handwara and Langate all security and other arrangements have been finalised," an official statement said here.
"In order to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in these constituencies, fool-proof security arrangements have been made and 11 zonal and 31 sectoral magistrates have been appointed to monitor election related matters," the statement said.
There are 14 candidates in fray in Karnah constituency, 19 in Kupwara, 10 in Lolab, 13 in Handwara and 15 in Langate. The polling will start at 8 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.
A district election officer said poll staff for the 480 polling stations, out of which 80 are "sensitive" and 200 "hyper-sensitive" because of the security situation, have already reached their destinations with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and poll materials.
Jammu, Nov 29: There were around half a dozen die-hard loyalists standing arm-in-arm as former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today filed his nomination papers from the home turf of Bhaderwah constituency.
Bhaderwah was the most happening place with huge political activity in March-April 2006 and around two dozen legislators and Ministers from the Congress party had lined up in the town when Ghulam Nabi Azad landed down for filing his nomination papers for the by-elections. This time he had with him few close loyalists including B.R Kundal, Janak Raj Gupta, Mohammad Shrief Naiz, G.M Saroori, Abdul Majeed Wani.
After filing the nomination papers, Azad addressed a public meeting in Seri Bazar Bhadarwah he counted his party achievements including creation of new districts, employment and infrastructure development.
He came down heavy on the Peoples Democratic Party for what he described as feeding people on hollow slogans and dividing state on regional lines. Asserting that if Congress returns to power the focus of his government would be again on the restoration of law and order, good governance, fighting corruption and creating infrastructure, said senior congress leader and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad while addressing massive elections rallied at Kharangal and Kakoo in Bhaderwah constituency and Kishtwar today.
He said when in power his government’s priority was to remove the prevailing developmental discrimination done by the previous government. This, he added, is well established from the fact that a meager five per cent of roads were covered in the erstwhile Doda district of Jammu region by the previous regimes compared to 70 per cent area covered by the road net work in the valley. He said had the Congress government completed its full term the state would have witnessed much more development and the position would have been altogether different and listed the major achievements of his governments in just two and a half years of tenure.
He said the work on the prestigious Rs 9.54 crore new hospital building taken up during his tenure is nearly completion while Rs. 13.89 crore sub district hospital at Bhaderwah is almost complete. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
