Srinagar: The Election Commission (EC) on Friday issued notification for 16 Assembly segments in the third phase of the five phased Legislative Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. With this, 49 out of 87 constituencies in the state have been notified and will go to polls in the first three phases on November 25, December 2, and December 9 respectively.
In the first phase seven districts Bandipora, Ganderbal in Kashmir Valley, Kargil, Leh of Ladakh region, Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban of Jammu region will go to polls on November 25. Meanwhile, in the second phase, 18 constituencies spread over five districts of Kupwara, Kulgam in Kashmir valley Reasi, Udhampur and Poonch in Jammu region will exercise their franchise to vote on December 2.
An official spokesperson said the last date of filing of nomination papers for the third phase in all 16 constituencies, which is spread over Baramulla, Budgam and Pulwama districts in Kashmir valley, will be November 21 and scrutiny will be done next day. November 24 will be the last date of withdrawal while the polling will be held on December 9.
Out of 18 constituencies going to polls in the third phase, People Democratic Party (PDP) has won nine seats Sangrama, Baramulla and Pattan in Baramulla district, Chadoora and Beerwah in Budgam district and Tral, Pampore, Pulwama and Rajpora in Pulwama in 2008 Assembly elections.
PDP's Syed Basharat Ahmad Bukhari won Sangram constituency, which recorded a voter turnout of 47.12 per cent, by beating his nearest rival IND leader Shoaib Nabi Lone by 1330 votes. NC was a distant third. Bukhari is seeking re-election from this constituency.
Baramulla from where PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beigh is seeking re-election for the third times witnessed a voter turnout of 33.31 per cent in Assembly election in 2008. Beigh won by a margin of 5398 votes from Nazir Hussain Khan of NC.
PDP's Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, who was given a mandate by the people of Pattan in 1983 on Congress ticket and then in 1996 and 2002 on NC tickets, will be seeking re-election from the constituency. Ansari in the last Assembly election won the Pattan constituency, which recorded a voter turnout of 52.84 per cent, by a margin of 11,271.
PDP leader Javaid Mustaffa Mir who is seeking re-election for the third time from Chadoora constituency, which recorded a voter turnout of 53.79 per cent in 2008 won the polls by a margin of 2,940.
Beerwah, which is an important constituency as Chief Minister and NC working president is contesting this seat, has been a strong hold of PDP since the creation of the party in 2002. Even though PDP's candidate Shafi Ahmad Wani who is seeking re-election won the polls by a small margin of 164 votes in 2008, it will be very difficult for Omar to get mandate from this constituency. After abandoning Ganderbal constituency, Omar decided to try his luck from Beerwah and Sonawar in Srinagar.
Trail in 2008 Assembly election witnessed a voter turnout of 48.69 per cent. Even though PDP leader Mushtaq Ahmad Shah is seeking re-election from Tral, it is one of the five constituencies BJP is eying to make an inroad in the valley. Political experts say that the BJP is hopeful that if the polling percentage of the Muslim voters is low in this area following an election boycott call given by separatist leaders, Kashmiri Pandits can help in securing this seat for the saffron party. BJP bagged 16th position with 338 votes in 2008. However, BJP has not fielded any candidate for the constituency so far.
PDP has a very strong hold in Pampore constituency, which has since 2002 given mandate to Mufti-led party. PDP leader Zahoor Ahmad Mir is seeking re-election for the third time from the constituency, which in 2008 recorded a voter turnout of 43.43 per cent. Mir won the election in 2008 by beating his nearest rival NC's Mohammad Anwar Bhat by a margin of 5,148 votes.
PDP leader Mohammad Khalil Bandh has been given mandate by his party to seek re-election for the third time from Pulwama constituency, which in 2008 witnessed a voter turnout of 40.84 per cent. Bandh won by a margin of 6,636 votes in the last elections.
Even though PDP candidate Sayed Bashir Ahmad is seeking re-election and the party has a strong base in Rajpora, it will be an uphill task for him to retain the seat. NC has fielded Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Mir, who in 2008 lost by just 947 votes as an independent candidate. NC's Ghulam Nabbi Wani came third in that election. Rajpora recorded a voter turnout of 50.61 per cent in 2008.
From the 16 constituencies going to polls in the third polls, NC managed to win four seats Rafiabad and Sopore in Baramulla, Budgam and Charar-e-Sharief in Budgam district while Congress won only one seat of Uri in Baramulla.
The people of Rafiabad in north Kashmir in 2008 gave mandate to NC's Javaid Ahmad Dar, who is seeking re-election in the Assembly polls, won by a narrow margin of 216 votes. Dar is expected to get a tough competition by PDP leader Mohammad Dilawar Mir, who has won this seat five times three times on NC ticket 1977, 1983, 2002; once on JD ticket and in 2006 bye-election as a PDP leader.
Sopore, the home town of Hurryat Conference leader Sayed Ali Shah Geelani, who has given an election boycott call, in 2008 witnessed a voter turnout of just 19.95 per cent. Sopore is another constituency which BJP think it can score on with the help of Kashmiri Pandits provided the voter turnout is low. In 2008, NC's Mohammad Ashraf Ganie won the election by 1,064 votes.
Budgam constituency, a strong hold of NC, in 2008 gave huge mandate to NC leader Aga Syed Ruhullah. Ruhullah, who is seeking re-election for the third time, won by beating his nearest rival from PDP by a margin of 9,960 votes in the 2008 Assembly election. NC has retained this seat since 1957, except in 1972, when Congress leader Ali Mohammad Mir was given a mandate by the people of the constituency.
Charar-e-Sharief is yet another constituency which has a strong presence of NC supporters. The constituency since 1983 has been represented by Finance Minister and senior NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather, who is seeking re-election for the sixth time from Charar-e-Sharief. The constituency recorded a whopping 74.58 per cent voter turnout in 2008. Rather in the last election won by a margin of 6,375 votes.
Uri, a border town in north Kashmir, was recently in news after Pakistan violated ceasefire, resulting in the death of an Army jawan and a 17-year-old girl. The constituency is considered to be a strong hold of Congress. Taj Mohi-ud-Din, who is seeking re-election for the third time, won by a margin of 1,879 votes in 2008. NC has fielded Mohammad Shafi, who has won this seat four times 1972, 1977, 1983, 1987, 1996, but lost against Taj in 2002 and 2008.
After Omar decided to contest from two constituencies Beerwah and Sonawar, his uncle Mustafa Kamal, who won the by-election from Sonawar, was given a mandate by NC to contest from Gulmarg. Even though kamal had won Gulmarg seat in 1987 and 1996, he lost the constituency to Ghulam Hassan Mir in 2002 and 2008. Mir who fought the election in 2002 on PDP ticket, left the party and was given a mandate by Democratic Party Nationalist in 2008. Kamal lost Gulmarg constituency in 2008 by 6441 votes.
In Khansahib in central Kashmir, which recorded a voter turnout of 74.87 per cent in 2008, Peoples Democratic Front (PDF) Hakeem Mohammad Yasin is seeking re-election for the third time. Yasin, in 2008 won by a margin of 8,395 votes. Yasin has also won this seat in 1977, 1983 as an NC candidate, but lost to Congress leader Ghulam Mohammad Mir in 1987.
(Abid Soffi is Managing Editor, Kashmir Pioneer and he lives in Srinagar.)
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