Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Amid security challenges, Anantnag LS seat set to go for polls in sixth phase

The Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency includes 18 assembly segments across five districts- seven in Jammu (four in Rajouri and three in Poonch) and eleven in Kashmir (seven in Anantnag, three in Kulgam, and one in Shopian).

Srinagar: Amid security challenges, Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir is set to go to polls on May 25, following a rescheduled date from the initial May 7 due to severe weather conditions.

The delimitation exercise completed in May 2022 shifted the geographic boundaries and demographic composition of the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat that was earlier limited to the four districts of south Kashmir but now spans across the Pir Panjal into Poonch and Rajouri.

It includes 18 assembly segments across five districts- seven in Jammu (four in Rajouri and three in Poonch) and eleven in Kashmir (seven in Anantnag, three in Kulgam, and one in Shopian).

It encompasses 1,836,576 registered voters, with a breakdown of 933,647 males, 902,902 females, and 27 third-gender voters. Among them are 17,967 persons with disabilities and 540 centenarians. Additionally, 81,000 voters will be casting their ballots for the first time since the 2019 elections.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has set up 2,338 polling stations, staffed by over 9,000 personnel. In Rajouri and Poonch, there are 19 border polling stations. 20 candidates are in the fray, with the primary contest between PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and influential tribal leader from National Conference and former minister Mian Altaf.

Both Mehbooba, who won from Anantnag in 2014, and her father and PDP founder late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed have represented the constituency in Parliament.

Ahmad is a five-time former MLA from Kangan in central Kashmir and has served as a cabinet minister in the governments of both Farooq and Omar Abdullah.

Campaigning concluded on Thursday evening, and Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed to ensure a peaceful electoral process. Voting in the Srinagar and Baramulla constituencies has already concluded peacefully, without any poll-related violence.

However, recent attacks, including the killing of a government employee in Rajouri, an ambush on an Indian Air Force convoy in Poonch, and the killing of a sarpanch in Shopian, underscore significant security concerns.

J&K Chief Electoral Officer P. K. Pole stated that despite recent years of relative peace, extra precautions are necessary. Over 25,000 security personnel have been deployed, with around 1,600 polling stations classified as “hypersensitive” due to heightened terrorist activities in Rajouri-Poonch.

Pole encouraged voters to participate, emphasizing the high turnout in previous elections and the extensive facilities provided at polling stations. He urged the residents of Poonch and Rajouri to exercise their right to vote on May 25.