Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 3- Anantnag Parliamentary constituency, set to go to polls on April 30, has a total electorate of 11, 65,951, which is highest among the four Parliamentary constituencies of Kashmir Division. The total voters also include 377 service electors. Out of the total registered voters, 6, 11,958 are male and 5, 53,993 female who will exercise their franchise in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
In comparison, there were 9, 98,647 voters registered for the 2004 Parliamentary elections. Mehbooba Mufti of PDP won the Parliamentary seat in 2004 elections when she defeated her nearest rival Dr. Mehboob Beg by a margin of 38,938 votes. While Mufti polled 74,436 votes, Dr. Beg polled 35,498 votes. The total poll percentage was recorded at 15.04.
The Assembly segments going to polls in Anantnag Parliamentary elections in 2009 are Tral, Pampore, Pulwama and Rajpora in Pulwama district, Wachi and Shopian in Shopian district, Noorabad, Kulgam, Homeshalibug and Devsar in Kulgam district and Anantnag, Dooru, Kokernag, Shangas, Bijbehara and Pahalgam in Anantnag district.
Anantnag district leads with 4, 37,708 voters which include 2, 26,642 male and 2, 11,066 female voters. Pulwama district follows with 3, 00,705 electors including 1, 56,646 male and 1, 44,059 female electors. Kulgam district has 2, 83,814 registered voters which include 1, 53,825 male and 1, 29,989 female voters. Shopian district has the lowest number of electorate in the Anantnag Parliamentary constituency with 1, 43,724, which includes 74,845 male and 68,879 female voters.
As many as 1,485 polling stations, spread across 16 segments of Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, will be set up to facilitate voters. These include 1,257 main and 228 auxiliary polling stations. Anantnag district again leads with 556 polling stations.
In 1967 elections, Anantnag Parliamentary constituency was represented by Congress candidate Mohammad Shafi Qureshi, while as in 1971 midterm polls; the constituency was again represented by Qureshi, this time, however, on NC ticket. In 1977 Lok Sabha elections, the seat was yet again won by Qureshi on INC ticket. In the midterm 1980 Parliamentary elections, the seat was won by Ghulam Rasool Kochak of NC while as in 1984; the seat was won by Begum Akbar Jahan of NC. In 1989 General Election, Anantnag Lok Sabha seat was won by P.L. Handoo of NC while as in 1996; the seat went to M. M. Dar on JD ticket. In 1998, the seat was won by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on INC ticket while as in 1999; the constituency was represented by Ali Mohammad Naik of NC.
Meanwhile, the poll schedule for Anantnag Parliamentary constituency was set into motion with the issuance of notification for Lok Sabha elections 2009 today.
The last date for filing of nominations has been fixed as April 9 while scrutiny of nomination papers will be done the next day. April 15 has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal of candidatures while as polling will be held in South Kashmir constituency on April 30.
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