J-K Polls Phase-1: Key Candidates, Constituencies (image:x.com/ECISVEEP)
Jammu and Kashmir gears up for the first phase of Assembly elections on Wednesday, September 18. It was after a decade the valley is going to vote in an Assembly election.
In the first phase, 24 assembly segments spread across South Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian and Chenab valley districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban will go to the booths on Wednesday.
The 24 seats in the polls include 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.
Out of the 219, 90 are independent candidates in the poll fray.
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, Election Commission (EC) states.
Key Candidates
Congress general secretary Ghulam Ahmad Mir is contesting from Dooru assembly segment in Anantnag district. A former Jammu and Kashmir unit President, he has won the seat in 2002 and 2008.
Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami (CPM)
MY Tarigami, the lone CPI(M) MLA in the valley is contesting from the Kulgam assembly segment, which he has been winning since 1996.
Peerzada Mohammad Syed (Congress)
Senior leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president Peerzada Mohammad Syed is fielding from Anantnag assembly segment.
Shagun Parihar, the BJP’s new face is contesting from Kishtwar constituency. She is the niece of late Anil Parihar, veteran BJP leader in Jammu and Kashmir.
Iltija Mufti, daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, PDP chief and former Chief Minister of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir contesting her debut polls from Srigufwara-Bijbehara assembly segment in south Kashmir, a traditional PDP stronghold.
Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, youth wing president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is contesting from Pulwama assembly segment.
Senior NC leader and former Minister Sakina Itoo is fielding from Damhal Hanjipora (DH Pora) constituency. She represented the constituency twice – 1996 and 2008.
Important Constituencies
Inderwal
Inderwal is witnessing a multi-cornered contest where a tough competition is expected between Congress candidate Sheikh Zafarullah, BJP’s Tariq Hussain Keen and two independent candidates including Ghulam Muhammad Saroori and Pyare Lal Sharma.
Kulgam
As Communist veteran Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami, or MY Tarigami is looking for the fifth consecutive win from the constituency, the presence of strong contenders including People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s Mohammad Amin Dar and People’s Conference (PC)’s Nazir Ahmad Laway, Apni Party’s Engineer Mohammad Aqib, and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Kashmir backed independent candidate Sayyar Ahmad Reshi makes his electoral battle a tough one.
Pulwama
The major contenders for the seat are Mohammad Khalil Bandh from the National Conference (NC), PDP leader Waheed ur Rehman Parra, and JeI Kashmir backed independent candidate Talat Majeed.
Kishtwar
In Kishtwar, NC nominee and former minister Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo will be facing BJP’s new face, Shagun Parihar. The constituency, historically, witnesses a direct fight between the National Conference (NC) and the BJP, and most of the time the NC emerged victorious.
Zainapora
Zainapora constituency, part of south Kashmir’s Shopian district, will witness a tough fight between National Conference (NC)’s Showkat Hussain Ganie, PDP candidate and party state secretary Ghulam Mohiuddin Wani, and former PDP MLA Aijaz Ahmad Mir contesting as an independent candidate.
