Jammu News Desk !!! Voting will be held today for 24 assembly seats in the first phase of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. 23 lakh 27 thousand voters will participate in it. These 24 seats are in 7 districts of Jammu and Kashmir. More than 35 thousand displaced Kashmiri Pandits will also be able to vote in the first phase. All these displaced Kashmiris are living in different states. 24 special booths have been set up in Delhi for Kashmiri Pandits. In the first phase, 8 out of 24 seats are in Jammu division and 16 seats are in Kashmir Valley. After 2014, assembly elections are being held in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024. 2019 is the first election in Kashmir after the abolition of Article 370. In 2014, PDP and BJP formed the government by forming an alliance but after 3 years BJP broke the alliance. After this, President’s rule was imposed in the state.
Hot seats of first phase
Bijbehara- This seat has been the traditional seat of the Mufti family. Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti is contesting from this seat. Iltija will face NC’s Bashir Ahmed Shah. 37-year-old Iltija has entered the fray to save the family’s reputation. Iltija is making her political debut at a time when PDP’s fortunes are in trouble these days. When Mehbooba was detained after the abrogation of Article 370, it was Iltija who raised the flag against the government and BJP. At present, the hopes of the Mufti family rest on her shoulders.
Kishtwar-Kishtwar seat of Jammu division is also in the news because of BJP candidate Shagun Parihar. Shagun’s father and uncle were killed in a terrorist attack. BJP is presenting Shagun as the sting of terror in this election. Shagun’s uncle Anil Parihar was the secretary of Jammu and Kashmir BJP. He was murdered along with Shagun’s father Ajit Parihar 6 years ago in 2018. On this seat, Shagun has to face NC’s Sajjad Ahmed and PDP’s Firdous Ahmed.
Kulgam: Senior CPI(M) leader Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami is pitted against banned Jamaat-e-Islami-backed candidate Sayyar Ahmad Reshi.
Tral- Two Sikh candidates have made the contest interesting from this seat. Congress’ Surinder Singh Channi and NIP’s Dr. Harbakhsh Singh are face to face from this seat. The division of votes between Sikh and Muslim candidates will make the contest very interesting.
Pulwama- In Pulwama, PDP’s Waheed Para is facing tough competition from Khalil Band, who was earlier in this party. Now he is in the fray on the ticket of National Conference. Due to which the competition on this seat has become tough.
