Amid tight security, Jammu and Kashmir will hold Phase 2 of Assembly elections on Wednesday, with voting scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm.
Over 2.5 million voters will decide the fate of 239 candidates in the fray for 26 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly seats. These Assembly seats are spread over six districts – three in the Valley and as many in the Jammu division.
“To facilitate smooth and hassle-free electoral participation, the Election Commission of India has established 3,502 polling stations in these segments. There are 1,056 urban polling stations and 2,446 rural polling stations,” PTI quoted an official as saying.
All polling stations will have webcasting facilities as part of the Election Commission’s efforts to ensure transparency, according to officials.
“To enhance voter participation, 157 special polling stations have been established for the second phase – 26 ‘pink polling stations’ managed by women, 26 polling stations manned by specially abled persons, 26 polling stations manned by youths, 31 border polling stations, 26 green polling stations and 22 unique polling stations,” the official said.
Voting to be conducted amid tight security
According to PTI, citing officials, a multi-tier security blanket has been thrown around each polling station to ensure the voting is held in an atmosphere free of fear.
The security forces personnel comprising police, armed police and central armed paramilitary forces left for the polling stations early on Tuesday morning, added the report.
“As the second phase of voting will take place on Wednesday), we have made elaborate security arrangements to ensure that the maximum number of people exercise their right to vote,” PTI quoted a senior police official as saying.
The strong rooms – where the electronic voting machines will be kept after the close of polls Wednesday – have been secured and will be kept under round-the-clock digital surveillance.
Bigwigs in fray
Key names in the fray for this phase are former chief minister Omar Abdullah, JKPCC president Tariq Hamid Karra and BJP J-K chief Ravinder Raina.
Abdullah is contesting from the Ganderbal and Budgam seats, while Karra is contesting from Central Shalteng. Raina will be trying to retain his Nowshera seat in Rajouri district which he won in the 2014 assembly polls.
The second phase will be watched keenly as jailed separatist leader Sarjan Ahmad Wagay alias Barkati is hoping to repeat Engineer Rashid’s Lok Sabha poll feat against the National Conference leader.
Barkati is contesting from the Beerwah and Ganderbal segments.
Popularly known as Rashid Engineer, Sheikh Abdul Rashid contested the parliamentary polls held earlier this year from Tihar jail and still managed to defeat Abdullah by a margin of more than two lakh votes from the Baramulla constituency.
Other key candidates in this second phase of Assembly polls are Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari (Channapora), former ministers Ali Mohammad Sagar (Khanyar), Abdul Rahim Rather (Chrar-i-Sharief), and Choudhary Zulfikar Ali (Budhal) and Syed Mushtaq Bukhari (Surankote).
Choudhary Zulfikar Ali and Syed Mushtaq Bukhari are contesting on BJP tickets this time.
An estimated 61.38 per cent of the electorate cast their ballots in the first phase of polling on September 18. The third phase will go to polls on October 1. The votes will be counted on October 8.
Constituencies going to polls
During this phase, 93 candidates are in the fray in Srinagar district, followed by 46 in Budgam district, 34 in Rajouri district, 25 in Poonch district, 21 in Ganderbal district and 20 in Reasi district.
The constituencies in Srinagar district are Hazratbal, Khanyar, Habbakadal, Lal Chowk, Channapora, Zadibal, Central Shalteng and Eidgah.
The segments in Budgam district are Budgam, Beerwah, Khansahib, Chrar-I-Sharief and Chadoora while there are two constituencies in Ganderbal district – Kangan (ST) and Ganderbal.
The seats going to polls in Jammu division are Gulabgarh (ST), Reasi, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (in Reasi district), Kalakote-Sunderbani, Nowshera, Rajouri (ST) (in Rajouri district), Budhal (ST), Thannamandi (ST), Surankote (ST), Poonch Haveli and Mendhar (ST) (Poonch district).
Elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being held in three phases. Voting for 24 seats in the first phase was held on September 18 while 26 seats will go to polls Wednesday in the second phase. The voting for 40 seats in third phase will be held on October 1 while counting of votes will be held on October 8.
With inputs from agencies
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J&K Phase 2 Assembly elections today, Omar Abdullah, Ravinder Raina among bigwigs in fray
