
Shabir Ahmad
Abdul Khaliq is waiting for his turn to cast vote outside a polling booth set in the Higher Secondary School in Uri, a frontier town some 80 kms north of Srinagar. The sunny afternoon, poll frenzy and voters rush has already turned the town into a celebration mode, and the polling booth is nonetheless the epicentre of the celebration. He has come to vote for a change. the middle-aged man, claiming to be a teacher in a private school. “But this time, I am voting for a change and I hope “Our vote is very important. If we don’t how can we claim right to have development,” philosophically said change will come,” he added without explaining more.
Uri town is part of the Baramulla parliamentary constituency which, along Jammu constituency, went on polls in the first phase on April 11, 2019. The twin parliamentary constituencies of Jammu And Kashmir State saw the turnout both on expected and unexpected lines. While Jammu seat registered a whopping 72.19 percent voting (expected), the Baramulla seat in northern Kashmir saw a polling turnout of 35.01 percent (unexpected). So Baramulla turnout set apart from Jammu’s turnout, despite being on the lower side. Because 35 pc voting in Baramulla is considered to be a respectable figure in the context of voting pattern in Kashmir and prevailing security situation in Valley.
Poll watchers in Kashmir say that Baramulla’s turnout was ‘unexpected’ as voters, as per them, by coming out to vote in ‘impressive’ numbers defied the boycott called by separatists and a perceptible threat from ultras.
The twin constituencies together — with a combined total of 33 lakh voters — recorded 57.35 percent voter turnout, according to Jammu and Kashmir’s chief electoral officer Shailendra Kumar.
A total of 4,489 polling stations were set up in twin constituencies. Thirty-three candidates were in the fray in both the constituencies. In the Jammu parliamentary constituency, spread over 20 Assembly segments in four districts, 24 candidates were in the fray while in Baramulla, spread across 15 Assembly segments in three districts, nine candidates contested the poll.
The Baramulla parliamentary constituency is spread over 15 assembly segments in three districts of Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora. The constituency also includes big towns like Baramulla, Sopore, Kupwara, Handwara and Bandipora.
Baramulla constituency registered 34.71 percent polling, five percentage points down from last General Elections. One of its three districts, Kupwara registered 51.7 percent votes. Among the celebrity voters was Shah Faesal, a former IAS officer and J&K People’s Movement founder. The political novice cast his vote in Lolab.
The voting population is predominantly Muslim, with a small minority of Sikh voters concentrated in and around Baramulla town.
Kashmiri Pandit voters of the constituency migrated out of the Valley in the early 1990s. Some members of this community, however, still live at a few places in the constituency.
Uri tehsil witnessed a substantial 57 percent turnout, a categorical rejection of calls for the election boycott. “Boycott is not the solution. We vote without any fear and believe in participatory democracy where people have right to make informed choice of who will be their representative,” added Khaliq.
|The polling in the constituency was peaceful barring an isolated incident of unrest in the evening of the polling day which resulted in killing of teenager boy in Langate when security forces fired on stone throwing group of people. Youngsters also came out in large numbers in Dangerpora of Bandipora, claiming that they were fed up of the Governor’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir. Internet services were suspended in Baramulla where a woman in Pattan was injured when supporters of separatists pelted stones on voters for disobeying the call for poll boycott.
Although there are nine candidates in the fray, the fight is between National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Conference and an independent candidate Er Rashid, making it a four-cornered contest.
NC had fielded its political heavy weight and former minister Mohammad Akbar Lone, Sajjad Gani-led Peoples Conference candidate was former Inspector General of Police Raja Aijaz Ali who quit PDP to contest on PC ticket, and PDP’s Abdul Qayoom Wani was also in fray. The Congress has fielded Farooq. Er Abdul Rashid, a feisty guy having pro-separatist posturing, contested as an independent candidate.
In this four-cornered contest, Er Rashid is emerging as a dark horse, which is a major worry for NC, PDP and PC. Rashid’s pro-separatist posturing has helped him to make connect with voters who see in him a man who can raise the voice of Kashmiris in parliament. The huge public participation in his campaign rallies is seen as an indication of how he may disturb the voting arithmetic in the constituency.
Shah Faesal has also extended his support to Rashid as has former Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, chairman of the Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN).
Faesal belongs to Lolab voting segment of this constituency, Mir belongs to Tangmarg voting segment of Baramulla seat which was seen as his stronghold till he was defeated by PDP’s Mohammad Abbas Wani in the 2014 Assembly elections.
Rashid represented Langate Assembly segment of Baramulla in the last state legislature that was dissolved by Governor Satya Pal Malik in November.
Rashid has been holding large public rallies, especially in Kupwara district which are attended mostly by the youths. His rally in Uri saw a massive participation. And on April 11, many voters were candid enough to say that their choice was none other than Er Rashid.
Rashid minces no words while supporting a political resolution of the Kashmir problem by advocating the right to plebiscite.
During one of his election rallies in north Kashmir, the former MLA said that the separatists had achieved nothing so far while the mainstream politicians had also failed to win the hearts and minds of the Kashmiri people.
“Give me a chance to voice your feelings in the Indian Parliament and also in international forums,” Rashid has been telling the voters as he criticizes human rights violations, dynastic rule and rampant corruption in Kashmir.
He has been telling crowds that he is one among them as he does not belong to any political family nor does he have an affluent family background.
The growing influence of Rashid has caught the imagination of the common man in Baramulla constituency. It is widely believed that Rashid would cut into the vote banks of all three major parties.
Meanwhile, the respectable turnover in Baramulla constituency has set the positive bench mark for the state and central government, making them hopeful of same trend in the other two crucial Srinagar and Anantnag constituencies. In the 2017 elections for the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, a meagre 7 per cent voting turnover was recorded and the day was marred by wide spread protested and civilian killings. The then coalition regime led by Mehbooba Mufti failed to hold the elections for the Anantnag constituency given to severe security reasons and the prevalent anger among people in the backdrop of top militant Burhan Muzaffar Wani’s killings in 2016.
However, the situation since then seems changed a lot. And the political parties seems openly holding public rallies to woo the voters now,” said Ghulam Qadir, a local shopkeeper.
While the elections for the Srinagar constituency are scheduled for 18 April, Anantnag will go to poll on 23rd of this month.
Ahead of polls, the government of India have rounded up hundreds of leaders of Jamaat e Islami and banned the socio-religious organization. Given to its strong foothold on ground, the organization was instrumental in mobilising the public opinion.
“The detaining of separatists and Jamaat ideologues has contributed a lot in paving way for peaceful and smooth holding of Lok Sabha elections. We had exhaustively studied their role in sabotaging previous elections processes,” says a security officer.
While in Kashmir the local elections attract the attention of all people and huge turnover comparatively, however, this time the Lok Sabha elections turn over would set a bench mark for the upcoming Assembly elections likely to be held this year.