security-beefed-up-in-j-k-s-rajouri-poonch-for-may-25-ls-polls

Strict security measures are being put in place before the May 25 Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha polls with around 200 additional companies of the Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police (JKAP) deployed to ensure peaceful polling.

Rajouri and Poonch are part of the Anantnag LS constituency where voting is scheduled for May 25. 

 

Official reports suggest that "some of the companies reached both districts on Tuesday while others were expected to be in place by Wednesday night as they were sent from parts of Baramulla Parliamentary Constituency where polling concluded in the fifth phase on Monday.”

Both Rajouri and Poonch districts share the LoC with Pakistan, and there have been concerns of  terrorists from Pakistan attempting to cross the border to  disrupt elections.

However, the Army's rigorous surveillance of the LoC has stopped several attempts at terrorist intrusion in the two districts listed as security-sensitive regions by intelligence agencies.

Rajouri and Poonch districts have eight Assembly seats; however, one of them (Sunderbani-Kalakote) is part of the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency.

 

The remaining seven Assembly seats from the two districts are in the Anantnag-Poonch-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency.

 

Elections, earlier scheduled here in the third phase on May 7, were postponed until the sixth phase on May 26 due to inclement weather and the 

closure of the Mughal Road, which connects the two districts with South Kashmir.

 

The Election Commission will use 5405 VVPATs (Voter Verified Paper Audit Trails) and set up 6,888 polling units, and 4996 control units in the Anantnag-Rajouri election.

 

Eighteen polling stations in the constituency will be supervised solely by women and people with disabilities (PwD), with webcasting available from 1,775 locations. There are 90 model polling stations in the Anantnag seat.

The Anantnag-Rajouri segment has 18,36,576 electorates, with 9,33,647 males, 9,02,902 females, and 27 persons of the third gender.

 

A total of 20 candidates are vying for the Anantnag-Poonch-Rajouri seat, which includes South Kashmir in the Valley and the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu division.

 

Former state Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, president of the People's Democratic Party, Mian Altaf  of National Conference), Zaffar Manhas  of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, and Advocate Maqbool Parray (DPAP) are among the major contenders in the race.