Three Jammu districts brace for voting in the shadow of string of militant attacks

JAMMU: Hit by several deadly militant attacks in the past three years, the border districts of Rajouri and Poonch along with adjoining Reasi in Jammu will vote in the second phase of the assembly election on Wednesday.

Adequate security arrangements have been put in place across all 11 assembly segments in the three hill districts to ensure a secure atmosphere for voters to exercise their franchise, officials said.

The second phase, which also covers the three central Kashmir districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam, will decide the fate of 239 candidates across 26 assembly segments including 79 in the Pir Panjal region of Jammu.

Prominent among those in the fray from Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi include BJP’s J&K unit chief Ravinder Raina, who is seeking his re-election from the Nowshera constituency, besides five former ministers including two fighting as independents and 10 ex-legislators.

While Reasi district witnessed a brutal militant attack on a bus ferrying pilgrims from Shiv Khori temple at Teryath village on June 9, resulting in the death of nine persons including seven pilgrims, Rajouri and Poonch districts were rocked by over a dozen major attacks by militants since October 2021 claiming the lives of over 35 security personnel and eight civilians.

In the backdrop of the militant incidents in the region, which was otherwise considered clear of militancy over a decade ago, authorities have made all necessary arrangements to ensure that there is no disruption in the voting, the officials said.

They said with many areas falling along the Line of Control (LoC), a strategy has been worked out to deal with any situation, especially cross-border shelling even as the chances are less owing to the ongoing ceasefire.

The ceasefire violation between the two countries has been very rare ever since India and Pakistan renewed the agreement on February 25, 2021.

The highest 34 candidates are in the fray in the five segments of Rajouri district – Kalakote-Sunderbani, Nowshera, Rajouri (ST), Budhal (ST) and Thannamandi (ST).

This is followed by 25 in three seats in Poonch — Surankote (ST), Poonch-Haveli and Mendhar (ST) and 20 in Reasi district’s Gulabgarh (ST), Reasi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi segments.

The officials said a comprehensive network of 745 polling stations has been established across Rajouri district which has the highest 4,92,008 electorates including 2,35,786 women and seven transgender voters.

In the Rajouri district, 11 candidates are in the fray Kalakote-Sunderbani; five in Nowshera, eight in Rajouri (ST), four in Budhal (ST) and six in Thannamandi (ST).

As many as 483 polling stations have been set up for a total of 3,52,330 voters, including 1,71,746 women, in Poonch district where eight each candidates are in the fray in Surankote (ST) and Poonch Haveli while nine are contesting in Mendhar (ST).

In Reasi district, seven candidates each are contesting from Reasi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seats and six in Gulabgarh (ST).

The district has a total of 2,37,205 registered voters, including 1,12,843 females and three transgender, for whom 436 polling stations have been set up throughout the district, the officials said.

All three districts are high voter turnout districts, with Gulabgarh registering 82.09 per cent, Gool-Arnas 82.58 per cent, Reasi 80.32 per cent, Darhal 82.45 per cent, Nowshera 79.68 per cent, Kalakote 76.66 per cent, Rajouri 76.09 per cent, Mendhar 80.09 per cent, Surankote 76.49, and Poonch-Haveli 76.25 per cent in the 2014 assembly elections.

The PDP, BJP and the Congress had won three seats each, while the NC got only one seat in the 2014 assembly elections.

This time the number of assembly segments has increased to 11 with the inclusion of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi seat and renaming of Gool-Arnas as Gulabgarh following the 2022 delimitation exercise. (PTI)