Second phase of polls passes off peacefully in Kashmir: Report
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Srinagar, Nov 24, IRNA
India-Kashmir-Polls
Significant number of voters driven by a desire for good governance and solutions to their everyday problems queued up outside polling booths in strike hit Kashmir Sunday to elect pro-India politicians to the state Assembly even as thousands others defying strict restrictions held anti-election demonstrations in curfew bound Valley.
Upbeat officials of Indian Election Commission declared that 65 percent voting was recorded in the second phase despite a boycott call by pro-freedom parties and the winter chill.
Earlier an undeclared curfew was clamped on entire Kashmir valley and security further tightened after two people were shot dead by police during an anti-election protest in northern Baramulla town on the eve of polls on Saturday.
Two constituencies of Ganderbal and Kangan in the Kashmir valley and four assembly segments of Nowshehra, Rajouri, Darhal and Kalakote in Jammu region went to polls on Sunday in the second of the seven stage polls.
There were 22 candidates in the fray in two constituencies of the Valley which has 137,560 total number of voters.
By 4 p.m., when the voting came to an end, officials said 44 percent of the voters had cast their ballots in Ganderbal and 60 percent in mainly Gujjar populated Kangan. Voting was also significantly higher in four constituencies in the Jammu region.
In Ganderbal, contest was primarily between National Conference president, Omar Abdullah and Qazi Muhammad Afzal of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
Junior Abdullah, who lost to political novice Qazi from Ganderbal, his family constituency, in 2002, this time campaigned hard promising to "revive" the unfulfilled work that were initiated by his father and late grand father here if elected.
PDP which is seeking votes for 'settlement' of the Kashmir dispute on the other hand said large turn-out indicates peoples desire to see an end to the era of 'power hungry' politicians.
But for the Hurriyat Conference backed Co-ordination Committee which had given a call for 'Jehan election wahan challo' (march to where elections are) these elections are a farce. CC co-chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said that the exercise held under "occupation, detentions, curfews and crackdowns, has lost meaning".
Meanwhile as many people choose to vote many others stayed home.
But large number still decided to take to streets to register their anger and protest.
Scores of people were injured after paramilitary CRPF swung into action to foil such protests. Hundreds of people raising slogans like "No election, No selection, we want freedom" held protests outside many polling booths in Ganderbal district.
Many people in several villages alleged that they were beaten and humiliated by central forces for not casting their votes. Some protesters also alleged that troopers told them, "Let dusk set in, we will teach you a lesson."
One of the protesting woman, Mahjabeen said "We have invested everything in the great cause of the freedom and sacrifices of our children are fresh in our minds. So there is no point in voting".
"How can we vote when five martyrs are lying buried in this village? The blood of these martyrs is most precious to us ", said Taja Begum of Barsoo village.
"Over last 15 days, I was on the look out for these so called leaders who are contesting elections to tell them whether they can return my son back. I do not need my son now but I want to see Kashmir free," said angry Fatima.
In nearby polling booth Altaf Amad Ganai however offered his reasons to vote, ''We have only witnessed death and destruction for last two decades and we cant put our problems on hold till Kashmir issue gets solved".
Elderly Ghulam Nabi Saloora in Nuner village echoing the sentiment said magnitude of problems here is so high that he could not resist voting as he has waited all his life for resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
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