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National

Electioneering yet to pick up

Shujaat Bukhari

BANDIPORE: This constituency is going to the polls in the first phase on November 17, but the electioneering is yet to pick and the atmosphere is marred by the poll boycott calls given by the separatists.

Many candidates were chased away by protesters demanding “Azadi.” There are no hoardings, posters, flags or buntings of political parties as one could see in the 2002 Assembly elections.

“The tension is palpable, people do not want to vote” said Tariq Ahmad, a local.

Nevertheless 19 candidates are in the fray. The real contest is between the PDP’s Nizamuddin Bhat and counter insurgent-turned-politician Usman Majid who won the 2002 elections defeating the National Conference’s Ghulam Rasool Mir. NC has fielded the same candidate.

Mohammad Iqbal Jan, a youth from Sonarwani village, is another contestant though in the Tihar jail on charges of helping militants. His sisters, who are campaigning for him, are the only ones who have not faced public wrath. “People’s sympathy is with them” said their neighbour Ghulam Hassan.

Gousia Bashir (26), of the newly floated Garib Nawaz Party, happens to be the first woman candidate in the constituency in the last 55 years. She says she wants to alleviate the people’s sufferings.

his view.

Bandipore Deputy Commissioner Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad believes that the situation is improving. “So far we had no problems in going ahead with the poll process. We have a good number of candidates,” he says.

Sonawari and Gurez are two other constituencies in Bandipore district going to the polls on November 17.

Hurriyat Conference chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has announced an anti-election rally here on November 14.

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