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| All eyes fixed on Srinagar’s poll date | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 2: The Election Commission of India may have said that they are bothered about fairness and not the turnout but for two key mainstream political parties and a full band of separatists, it is the turnout that is going to matter at the end of the day as Srinagar-Ganderbal-Badgam Lok Sabha constituency braces up for polling on May 7.
Entire political and security focus has now shifted to Srinagar Lok Sabha seat going to polls on May 7, from where former chief minister Farooq Abdullah is among 15 candidates seeking mandate. Although voter turnout in the third phase in Anantnag parliamentary constituency was much less as compared to general Assembly polls, the authorities said Lok Sabha polls always recorded less voter turnout against assembly elections, while the separatists claimed it their victory saying people stayed away from polls on their boycott call.
The senior leaders of different political parties, including ruling National Conference (NC) and their coalition partner Congress, the main opposition party in the state the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Awami National Conference (ANC) are making all efforts to woo the voters in favour of their party candidates in the constituency, spread over 15 assembly segments in three districts of Srinagar, Badgam and Ganderbal.
Though a number of national parties, including Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), have put up their candidates, the main contest will be between the NC president Farooq Abdullah and Iftikhar Hussain Ansari of PDP.
The seat was represented by Omar Abdullah of NC in 2004 when he defeated his nearst PDP rival Ghulam Nabi Lone by a margin of 23169 votes.
Dr Abdullah first won the seat in 1980 mid-term polls.
The constituency was first represented by former Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad in 1967 on NC ticket headed by him. However, he lost to independent candidate Shamim Ahmad Shamim, who was supported by the NC headed by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1971. The NC started taking part in the elections in 1977 after Indira-Sheikh accord in 1975 when Sheikh Abdullah formed the government in the state on Congress support. Congress later withdrew the support, forcing elections in 1977.
In 1977 Begum Abdullah Jehan, mother of Dr Abdullah won the seat for the NC. The other NC candidates who represented the seat are Abdul Rashid Kabli in 1984, Mohammad Shafi Bhat 1989 (uncontested), Dr Abdullah 1980 and Omar Abdullah in 1998, 1999 and 2004. Congress represented the constituency once in 1996 when the NC abstained from the polling because of militancy.
Going by the assembly seats won by each party in 2008 polls, Dr Abdullah has clear edge over his rivals. The support by the Congress to his candidature after it did not put up any candidate against him make things more easy for him.
However, Dr Abdullah and his Chief Minister son Omar Abdullah, taking no chance, are addressing series of election rallies daily to ensure victory in the constituency.
The NC had won 12 out of 15 assembly seats in the constituency while the rival PDP could manage just two and another went to Peoples Democratic Front (PDF).
The NC made clean sweep in Srinagar district winning all the eight seats, mainly because of impact of poll boycott as only 21.93 per cent voting was recorded in the constituency. The party also won both the seats in Ganderbal constituency.
However, about half a dozen candidates of the PDP lost to NC candidates by a narrow margin.
Dr Abdullah, who contested from Hazratbal and Sonawar assembly constituencies, won both the seats before resigning to get elected to Rajya Sabha from the state.
Now again in the fray, Dr Abdullah won in Sonawari constituency by a margin of just 94 votes against PDP candidate Sheikh Ghulam Qadir Pardesi. Pardesi was given Legislative Council seat by the NC after resigning from the PDP recently.
The NC leaders alleged that PDP was creation of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to counter its policies. They said the PDP raised the issue of Self Rule only to counter the greater Autonomy of the party.
Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, a Shia leader, contesting on PDP ticket this time, has won from Pattan assembly segment.
Former Chief Minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter and party president Mehbooba Mufti are leaving no stone unturned to corner the NC.
Riding on demand of Self Rule, revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), reduction of troops and compensation to state against the losses suffered due to Indus Water Treaty (IWT), the PDP leaders are accusing the NC of implementing POTA in the state when no other state in the country had implemented it
They also alleged that NC remained part of the BJP led NDA Government at the Centre when Gujarat riots took place.
Claiming credit for opening of Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road after about six decades, introducing mobile phone service and starting work on Mughal road, the PDP leaders said the NC Government was opposing them, citing security reasons.
However, the contesting parties are worried about the boycott call given by the separatists, including both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference (HC).
The impact of the boycott could be seen in eight assembly segments in Srinagar district while the voter turnout in Badgam and Ganderbal districts will be almost the same as recorded in assembly polling.
The authorities have decided to set up 1466 polling booth, majority of them sensitive or hyper sensitive, for 11,02,451 voters, including 5,28,008 women in the constituency.
Thousands of additional security personnel would be deployed to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed three Election Observers for each constituency for smooth conduct of polling.
The observers are N C Muniyappa, Sandeep Dave and Mr Satya Bhan.
The Election Commission has appointed Mehraj Ahmad Kakroo, Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar as the Returning Officer
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