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| PDP shifts focus to North Kashmir | | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, May 8- The PDP leadership has decided to intensify the party campaign in Baramulla-Kupwara Lok Sabha constituency that goes to the poll on May 13.PDP sources said that the party patron and former Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, will visit a couple of areas in the constituency on Sunday. He will be accompanied by senior PDP leaders, including Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari and Nizam-ud-Din Bhat. Both Molvi Ansari and Bhat have won the Assembly poll in 2008 from Pattan and Bandipore constituencies respectively.
Party sources said that the PDP's campaign in Baramulla constituency will concentrate on demilitarization, repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, porous borders for hassle free trade and travel and self-rule for resolving the Kashmir issue.
Though Peoples' Conference chairman, Sajjad Lone, is in the poll fray, the contest is expected to be primarily between Sharief Din Shariq of the National Conference and Dilawar Mir of the PDP. Field reports indicate that majority of voters in the urban belt of Baramulla district may respond to the poll boycott call given by the separatists but Kupwara district and some pockets in Bandipore district may not respond to the call.
Except for 1996 when the National Conference stayed away from the Lok Sabha election the Baramulla seat has remained with the National Conference till 2004 election. If majority of voters responded to the poll boycott call in Baramulla district as it happened in six Assembly segments in Srinagar district the chances for Sajjad Lone giving tough fight to the Mir and Sharif Din because he has strong pockets of influence in Kupwara district is not ruled out. Experts believe that if Kupwara district witnesses moderate polling the overall polling percentage in the constituency may touch 30 to 35 per cent.
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