Phase I of J&K Elections Set for 18 September: Which Constituencies Are Going to Polls?
In the first phase, twenty-four assembly segments spread across the Chenab valley districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban, and south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian will be up for grabs.
The stage is set for the first assembly showdown in ten years in Jammu and Kashmir, with the first phase of polling scheduled for Wednesday (September 18). In the first phase, twenty-four assembly segments spread across the Chenab valley districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban, and south Kashmir districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian will be up for grabs. The second phase of polling for 26 seats will be held on September 25, and the third phase for 40 seats on September 5.
Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP and Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference (NC) are two major players in the Valley, while Congress and the BJP dominate the Jammu region. While NC has allied with Congress, the BJP and PDP are going solo. As part of the alliance deal, the NC will contest 51 out of the 90 seats, while the Congress will field its candidates in 31 constituencies. The alliance will have a “friendly contest” on 5 seats in the Union Territory.
Among the key constituencies going to polls in the first phase are Pulwama, Anantnag West, Anantnag, Pahalgam, Doda, Ramban, and Bnihal. In Pulwama, PDP’s youth leader Waheed Ur Rehman Para is up against National Conference’s Mohammad Khalil Band. Para had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Srinagar but lost the polls to NC.
BJP’s Mohammad Rafiq Wani is contesting from Anantnag West, Advocate Syed Wajahat from Anantnag, Javed Ahmad Qadiri from Shopian, and Arshid Bhat for Rajpora in Pulwama.
Full list of constituencies going to polls in Phase I
- Pampore
- Tral
- Pulwama
- Rajpora
- Zainapora
- Shopian
- D.H. Pora
- Kulgam
- Devsar
- Dooru
- Kokernag (ST)
- Anantnag West
- Anantnag
- Srigufwara-Bijbehara
- Shangus-Anantnag East
- Pahalgam
- Inderwal
- Kishtwar
- Padder-Nagseni
- Bhadarwah
- Doda
- Doda West
- Ramban
- Banihal
Earlier today, the National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah said that his party is hoping that its candidates will be successful in Phase 1. He also attacked Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, saying the latter’s strings are connected somewhere else. “He gets the signal from somewhere else. They dance on that signal. It is obvious that they have been fielded to target the National Conference. There is no problem, we can face it,” Abdullah said.
