Heavyweights in battle as J&K votes in 2nd phase on Wednesday

SRINAGAR/JAMMU: National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah, J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Karra and BJP's J&K chief Ravinder Raina are among 239 candidates vying for 26 constituencies in the second phase of the UT's three-stage assembly polls Wednesday. This round covers six districts - Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam in Kashmir and Jammu division's Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi.

Omar is contesting Ganderbal and Budgam while Raina seeks to retain his Nowshera seat in Rajouri and Karra is in the fray at Central Shalteng in Srinagar.

In family bastion, Omar faces fight from separatist cleric
Raina faces Surinder Choudhary, a former PDP functionary who switched to NC.

Other prominent candidates include Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari (Channapora), and former ministers Ali Mohammad Sagar (Khanyar), Abdul Rahim Rather (Charar-i-Sharief), Jugal Kishore Sharma (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi), Shabir Khan (Thannamandi), and Choudhary Zulfikar Ali (Budhal) and Syed Mushtaq Bukhari (Surankote), both contesting on BJP tickets. Two-time MLA and former minister Mushtaq Bukhari left NC in 2022 over the Pahari reservation issue.

Ganderbal, one of the seats from where Omar is contesting, is a traditional NC stronghold. The Abdullah family has represented Ganderbal since 1977, beginning with party founder Sheikh Abdullah, followed by his son Farooq Abdullah, and later Omar, who won the seat in 2008 after losing in 2002.

Omar faces competition from jailed separatist cleric Sarjan Ahmad Barkati, who is running from both Beerwah and Ganderbal. Barkati hopes to replicate the success of Engineer Rashid, an independent who defeated former CM Omar and People's Conference chief Sajad Gani Lone in Baramulla during this summer's Lok Sabha elections despite being imprisoned in Tihar on terrorism-funding charges.

Rashid's Awami Ittehad Party has fielded former Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries president Sheikh Ashiq as an independent candidate in Ganderbal, while former CM Mehbooba Mufti's PDP has nominated Bashir Ahmad Mir for the same seat.

The phase also features notable family rivalries. Choudhary Zulfikar Ali of BJP is competing against his nephew Javed Choudhary of NC in Budhal. BJP's Thakur Randhir Singh is up against his nephew Thakur Yasuvardhan Singh of NC in Sunderbani-Kalakote.

About 25.7 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase, with voting taking place amid tight security following increased terrorist activity this summer, particularly in Rajouri, Poonch, and Reasi. From May 4 to Sept 13, 21 security personnel were killed in the Union territory - 17 in Jammu and four in Kashmir. Security forces have been deployed extensively, and vehicle checks are being conducted to ensure safety.

BJP won 25 seats in Jammu division during the 2014 elections. Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts, which had 10 constituencies a decade ago, saw an additional seat added after the 2023 delimitation exercise, bringing the total to 11. BJP, Congress and PDP each secured three seats, while NC won one in 2014.

With new political alignments and intensified campaigning, this phase promises to be a high-octane electoral contest. For BJP, PM Modi addressed a rally in Reasi district on Sept 19, Union home minister Amit Shah held five rallies in Rajouri and Poonch on Sept 21-22, defence minister Rajnath Singh held three, and Union roads minister Nitin Gadkari campaigned in Budhal.

On the opposition side, NC-Congress alliance saw Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and NC president Farooq Abdullah address a rally in Surankote.

Polling officials, accompanied by paramilitary personnel, have already reached their stations, some located in remote, high-altitude areas surrounded by forests. EC has set up 3,502 polling stations across 15 constituencies in Kashmir and 11 in Jammu for voting, which will take place from 7am to 6pm. All polling stations will have webcasting facilities to ensure transparency.

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