The stage is set for the first phase of polling in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, where over 23 lakh voters will decide the fate of 219 candidates, including 90 independents, in 24 assembly segments on Wednesday. In the first phase, seven districts, located on either side of the Pir Panjal mountain range, will vote for the first time in an assembly election in 10 years. Of the 24 seats going to polls on Wednesday, eight are in three districts of Jammu region and 16 are in four districts of Kashmir valley.
A total of 23,27,580 electors are eligible to vote in phase 1, comprising 11,76,462 male, 11,51,058 female and 60 third-gender electors, according to the Election Commission (EC). The commission has set up 3,276 polling stations for smooth polling, which will be manned by a total of 14,000 polling staff.
CPI (M)'s Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir, National Conference's Sakina Itoo, and PDP’s Sartaj Madni and Abdul Rehman Veeri are among the prominent candidates trying their luck in phase 1.
Iltija Mufti, daughter of former chief minister and PDP supremo Mehbooba Mufti, is in a triangular contest with NC's Bashir Ahmad Veeri and BJP's Sofi Mohammad Yousuf in Srigufwara-Bijbehara, which is part of the Rajouri-Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency.
Tarigami is seeking a fifth consecutive term from the Kulgam assembly segment. AICC general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir is hoping for a third term from Dooru, while NC's Sakina Itoo is seeking another term from Damhal Hajipora. PDP's Sartaj Madni (Devsar) and Abdul Rehman Veeri (Shangus-Anantnag) are also key candidates to watch out for.
PDP's youth wing leader Waheed Para is contesting from the Pulwama assembly segment. Para -- an accused in a terror case -- faces a stiff challenge from his former party colleague Mohammad Khalil Bandh, who is now contesting on the NC ticket. The contest here has been spiced up by the entry of a former member of banned Jamaat-e-Islami Talat Majid Alie. Tarigami also faces a similar candidate in Sayar Ahmad Reshi.
In Jammu, where BJP and Congress dominate the political landscape, trying their luck are former ministers Sajjad Kitchloo (NC), Khalid Najid Suharwardy (NC) Vikar Rasool Wani (Congress), Abdul Majid Wani (DPAP), Sunil Sharma (BJP), Shakti Raj Parihar (Doda west) and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, a three-time MLA who is fighting as an independent after he was denied ticket by DPAP which he had joined after quitting Congress in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad two years ago.
Former MLA Daleep Singh Parihar (BJP), former MLC Firdous Tak and Imtiyaz Shan (PDP), NC's Pooja Thakur who is sitting chairperson of district development council Kishtwar, BJP's young face Shagun Parihar, whose father Ajit Parihar and uncle Anil Parihar were killed by terrorists in November 2018, and Mehraj din Malik of AAP are among other prominent faces in the fray.
While NC and the Congress are in alliance, both parties have fielded candidates in Banihal, Bhaderwah, and Doda for a 'friendly contest'. A 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 the Ramban and Padder-Nagseni constituencies.
The assembly constituencies going to the polls on Wednesday are Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, DH Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, Pahalgam, Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban and Banihal.
(With inputs from PTI)