Srinagar/Jammu, Sept 16: The campaigning for the first phase of Jammu and Kashmir polls came to an end on Monday as the BJP and the Congress raised the pitch on the last day of electioneering during which Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed three back-to-back rallies in Kishtwar and Ramban districts, while the Congress on its part released the election manifesto — Haath Badlega Halaat — promising a slew of welfare measures.
In the first phase on September 18, eight seats of Chenab valley spread across the three districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban in Jammu region will vote along with 16 assembly segments of south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam.
This will be the first assembly elections in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
“As many as 23.27 lakh electors are eligible to vote and decide the future of 219 candidates,” an official of the election commission said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah were among those who campaigned for their respective parties or alliances since the polls were announced a month ago.
While the BJP star campaigners mainly focussed on poll-bound areas of Jammu region for the first phase, Congress bigwigs tried to strike a balance between the Kashmir valley and Jammu in their campaign.
The key issue that has formed the pivot of the opposition campaign has been restoration of statehood to J&K. In August 2019, the Centre had abrogated Article 370 which granted special status to J&K, and also bifurcated the state into two Union territories.
The BJP, on the other hand, focussed on ‘Naya Kashmir’ narrative while warning the voters of possible rise in terrorism if the NC-Congress alliance is voted to power.
The election official said 3,276 polling stations have been set up for voting to be held in Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, DH Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag, Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, Pahalgam, Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban and Banihal constituencies.
Of the 3,276 polling stations, 2,974 stations will be in rural areas and 302 in urban areas. More than 14,000 polling staff will be deployed on duty for the first phase of election.
Underlining the significance of the role to be played by the youth of Jammu and Kashmir in strengthening the democracy, the statement said that as many as 1.23 lakh youth between the age 18-19 years are eligible to vote in phase 1.
Also, 28,309 Person with Disabilities (PwDs) and 15,774 elderly voters above the age of 85 are also eligible to exercise their franchise in phase 1.
There will be 24 polling booths managed by women, known as Pink Polling Stations, 24 polling stations manned by specially abled persons and 18 polling stations manned by youths.
Also, there will be 24 green polling stations in order to spread message about environmental concern and 17 Unique Polling stations. The purpose behind these special polling stations is to spread awareness among sections of society like women, specially abled, first time young voters to come forward and exercise their right to vote.
In order to enhance the ease of voting for Migrant Voters, 24 special Polling Stations have been established for Migrant Voters of Kashmir Division, including 19 Special Polling Stations in Jammu, 4 in Delhi and 1 in Udhampur District respectively.
While Prime Minister Modi addressed a rally in Doda on Saturday, Home Minister Shah dashed to Padder-Nagseni, Kishtwar and Ramban and addressed election rallies within a span of four hours on the last day of the campaigning.
This was the second visit of Shah to Jammu region within a fortnight as he had earlier visited the city of temples on September 6 and 7.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti mostly focused in Kashmir, leaving the party candidates in the Chenab valley on their own.
Senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party and Apni Party, which are fighting the maiden assembly elections in J&K along with Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), were also missing from the campaigning for the party candidates.
DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad joined the campaign in Doda on September 15 after initially expressing his inability owing to his health problem which led four of his party candidates withdrawing their candidature.
Prominent among those trying their luck included former ministers Sajjad Kitchloo (NC), Khalid Najid Suharwardy (NC), Vikar Rasool Wani (Congress), Abdul Majid Wani (DPAP), Sunil Sharma (BJP), and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, a three-time MLA who is fighting as an independent after he was denied ticket by DPAP.
Even as the National Conference and the Congress are in alliance, both the parties have fielded candidates in Banihal, Bhaderwah and Doda under “friendly contest”, while rebel NC leader Pyare Lal Sharma is fighting as an independent from Inderwal and two BJP rebels, Rakesh Goswami and Suraj Singh Parihar, are also trying their luck from Ramban and Padder-Nagseni constituencies.
