SRINAGAR: After a record turnout in the three phases, the high-voltage campaigning for the fourth leg of Assembly elections on December 14 in 18 seats including eight from Srinagar ended on Friday, with several high-profile candidates, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and former Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and other state ministers trying their luck at the hustings.
Out of the 18 seats which will go to polls on December 14, ruling National Conference had 9 seats, Congress two, PDP 6 and Panthers party had one seat.
A total of 1473050 lakh people are eligible to vote in the 18 constituencies where over 200 candidates are in the fray. There are 767471 male electorates while the total number of female electorates are 705559. In all the 18 constituencies, 1890 polling stations have been set up for people to exercise their franchise.
The campaigning for the fourth phase saw many political bigwigs addressing rallies including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who held his maiden rally in Srinagar and Congress President Sonia Gandhi who addressed a rally in South Kashmirs Shangus assembly segment. BJP president Amit Shah held a rally in Ikhraj Pora in favour of party candidate Hina Bhat who is contesting from Amirakadal assembly segment.
Partys national spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi campaigned for BJP candidate for Hazratbal Hakim Masood (Pervez).
Naqvi addressed large gatherings in interiors of Dal Lake where anger against regional parties is palpable due to successive govts policies which deprive inhabitants of their shelter and earnings.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also held several rallies.
While BJP led by Modi raised the issue of corruption, dynastic politics and development, it remained silent on the controversial issues of abrogation of Article 370. The party released a vision document in which it tried to woo refugees promising that it will grant them state subject rights and would abolish custodian department to pave way for their permanent settlement.
Among the candidates in the fray are two ministers of the state: Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Ali Muhammad Sagar (Khanyar), Haj and Auqaf Minister Pirzada Muhammad Sayeed (Kokarnag) while former Chief Minister Mufi Muhammad Sayeed and incumbent Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are also in fray to try their luck. Speaker Mubarak Gul is contesting from Eidgah constituency.
National Conference important candidates who are in the fray included Omar Abdullah (Sonawar) Muhammad Syed Akhoon (Hazratbal), Pir Afaq (Zadibal), Mubarak Gul (Eidgah), Ali Muhammad Sagar (Khanyar), Shamima Firdous (Habakadal), Nasir Aslam Wani (Amirakadal), Irfan Shah (Batamaloo), Surjit Singh Slathia (Vijaypur), Bashir Ahmed Veri (Bijbehara), Showkat Hussain Ganaie (Wachi), Altaf Ahmed Kaloo (Pahalgam) and others. While PDP candidates in fray included Muhammad Ashraf Mir (Sonawar) Asiya Naqash (Hazratbal), Abid Ansari (Zadibal), Ali Muhammad Wani (Eidgah), Muhammad Khurshid Alam (Khanyar), Zafar Meraj (Habakadal), Syed Altaf Bukhari (Amirakadal), Noor Muhammad (Batamaloo), Abdul Rehman Veri (Bijbehara), Ajaz Ahmed Mir (Wachi), Rafi Mir (Pahalgam), Pirzada Mansoor Hussain (Shangus) and Mufti Muhammad Sayeed will contest from Anantnag. Two Congress Ministers Pirzada Muhammad Sayed and Ghulam Ahmed Mir also in the fray.
Though barring some minor incidents, the campaigning for the fourth phase passed off peacefully, security arrangements have been made across Central and South Kashmir.
