Shadow Correspondent
SURANKOTE, Sept 23:
The campaigning for the second phase of Assembly polls came to an end on Monday evening in 26 constituencies across six districts of Jammu & Kashmir.
The stakes are high for the National and regional parties in the second phase of election.
A total of 27.78 lakh voters are eligible to vote to decide the electoral fate of 239 candidates in this phase of the election.
The authorities have set up 3,502 polling stations with webcasting for fair, transparent voting process, officials said. These are for the first Assembly polls in J&K since the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and downgrading the state into a Union Territory in August 2019.
In Kashmir, 15 Assembly Constituencies in central Kashmir comprising Kangan (ST); Ganderbal; Hazratbal; Khanyar; Habbakadal; Lal Chowk; Channapora; Zadibal; Eidgah;
Campaigning ends for second
Central Shalteng; Budgam; Beerwah; Khansahib; Chrar-I-Sharief; Chadoora will go to polls on Wednesday. Similarly in Jammu region, 11 Assembly Constituencies comprising Gulabgarh (ST); Reasi; Shri Mata Vaishno Devi; Kalakote- Sunderbani; Nowshera; Rajouri (ST); Budhal (ST); Thannamandi (ST); Surankote (ST); Poonch Haveli and Mehdhar (ST) are scheduled to go to polls.
The campaign saw rallies being addressed by top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
Prime Minister and other top BJP leaders in their address accused the Congress NC, for being “soft” on terrorism and pushing the youth towards stone-pelting, a claim that has been dismissed by NC.
On the other hand, Rahul and Congress leaders focused on the restoration of J&K statehood, while the regional parties NC and PDP sought votes against the BJP constitutional decisions in 2019.
The other parties Awami Ittehad Party headed by Baramulla Member of Parliament Abdul Rashid Sheikh, who has been released on interim bail for the polls till October 2, Democratic Progressive Azad Party led by Ghulam Nabi Azad, Apni Party and Peoples Conference campaigned vigorously for the second phase of election.
On the last day of campaigning, the parties made last ditch efforts to woo the voters.
The voters on Wednesday will decide the fate of leaders such as NC’s Omar Abdullah , Congress J&K President Tariq Congress, Apni Party Cchief Altaf Bukhari, jailed cleric and separatist leader Sarjan Ahmad Wagay, widely known as Sarjan Barkati, who is contesting as Independent candidate; several NC leaders, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Rahim Rather and BJP’s Aijaz Hussain.
Despite no call for boycott, any militant threat and improvement in the security situation, the voter turnout in the first phase of polls failed to match the voter turnout in the 2014 election.
According to an official spokesman 25,78,099 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballot in this phase, comprising 13,12,730 lakh male voters, 12,65,316 lakh female voters and 53 third-gender voters.
As many as 1,20,612 lakh voters aged 18 to 19 are eligible to vote in phase-II of the Assembly Election. Among these, 11,294 are male and 10,065 are female first-time voters, the spokesman said.
This phase will also see participation of 19,201 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) voters and 20,880 voters above the age of 85.
The highest 15 candidates are in fray in Ganderbal, and four candidates in Budhal.
