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Tuesday,
September 24, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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BJP’s
SOS to Modi to campaign in Doda Threat
perception higher in Doda, Srinagar
Stage set
for phase 2 polling
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NC, Cong
befooling voters: Gupta 15
envoys arrive for second phase poll ‘It’s
NC vs PDP in 46 valley seats’ Sikhs
decide to support NC Cong can
‘ally with PDP, CPM’ Pervez
asks APHC for fresh proposals 59,027
displaced Pandits to vote
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BJP’s SOS to Modi to campaign in Doda Jammu, September 23 The BJP activists here are desperate that Mr Modi should come here as his campaign in Doda district will help consolidate the party’s position in Bhaderwah which is dominated by Hindus. They believe that the recent gaurav yatra organised by Mr Modi has projected his as a leader of the Hindus. Among the national-level and major regional parties, Mr Kotwal is the only Hindu candidate in Bhaderwah, but a strong
campaigner is required to come out in his support to enable the BJP bag the seat. In the last Assembly elections in 1996, the seat was won by Sheikh Abdul Rehman of the BSP, who was reportedly supported by the National Conference (NC) which did not field any candidate there. However, this time the NC has fielded Mr Aslam Goni, Advocate General, Although Mr Rehman is a candidate of the BSP. The BJP activists are hopeful that the votes of the Muslims might get divided and the Hindu votes could be consolidated in case Mr Modi campaigned there. However, it is to be seen whether the security forces clear the visit of Mr Modi to Doda district where foreign mercenaries, and terrorists from various other countries are actively operating. The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, was earlier asked by the security set-up-not to visit the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri which went to poll in the first phase. The presence of terrorists is in strength in these two districts also. Meanwhile, The BJP has predicted a hung Assembly with balance of power in its hands in Jammu and Kashmir. On the eve of polling under Phase II in 28 constituencies in the state, the BJP General Secretary, Mr Rajnath Singh, a former UP Chief Minister, told
newsmen here today that the NC was no longer in the position to win absolute majority in the Assembly. He said the BJP would have to play an important role in shaping the next government. He said Jammu and Kashmir required an honest government and for that free and fair poll was needed. He said it was a matter of satisfaction that the first phase of polling was free and fair thereby enabling the Prime Minister to fulfil his commitment. Mr Rajnath Singh said even before the poll results the NC and the Congress stood totally exposed and appealed to the people to watch the track record of these two organisations which had been responsible for the current turmoil and political and economic distress in the state. |
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Threat perception higher in Doda, Srinagar Jammu, September 23 According to senior government functionaries, night patrolling by the police and paramilitary forces had been ordered right from this evening in several sensitive areas to prevent possible attacks on the polling stations by militants. Out of 1,032 polling stations, more than 300 have been kept in the sensitive category. There are about 10.86 lakh voters and in each of the 13 constituencies it is going to be a multi-cornered contest. The main contestants are the candidates belonging to the Congress, the NC, the BJP, the BSP, the PDP, the Panthers Party, the Jammu State Morcha and some heavy weight Independent candidates. The government functionaries said the threat perception under the phase II polling was much higher in Srinagar and Budgam districts than in Jammu district. They said the threat perception could be quite strong in Doda district and the upper reaches of Udhampur district. Meanwhile, the troops and the BSF have been kept on high alert all along the international border right from Akhnoor to Kathua as various border segments are witnessing polling tomorrow. A BSF officer said, “We are on high alert. We can meet any challenge.” He, however, said during the past three weeks, the intensity of Pak firing on “our pickets and border villages” had reduced drastically. “There have been 50 to 100 rounds of fire from gunners per day during the past three weeks against 500 to 10,000 rounds per day during August,” he said. A spokesman for the Northern Command said operations against the militants would continue during and after the polling because intercepted messages revealed that the Pakistani agencies were directing the militants to step up violence to disrupt the polling. He said one message said, “There should be at least four grenade and four anti-personnel mine blasts outside the polling stations. Plant these explosives within or outside the polling stations. He said another message was decoded which said, “You keep in mind that we have to give the vote (carry out bold action at polling stations).” He said the chief of Lashkar-e-Toiba had directed the activists of his outfit operating in Jammu and Kashmir to “blow up the polling stations.” The spokesman said in the light of these developments, the troops had been directed to keep a strict watch on the movement of the militants and eliminate them wherever they were spotted. |
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Stage set for phase 2 polling Srinagar, September 23 During the last Assembly elections in 1996, 189 candidates had entered the fray for 25 segments, including 112 from 10 segments of Jammu, 49 in the 10 segments of Srinagar and 28 in the five segments of Budgam. This time, the National Conference is the only party contesting all 28 seats. The Congress, which was originally fielding 27 candidates later, announced the withdrawal of three candidates from areas where the opposition is strong. The step has been taken to prevent the opposition votes from being divided. The People’s Democratic Party and the BJP are contesting from 21 and 18 seats, respectively. Interestingly, there is no Congress candidate in Ganderbal (Srinagar), where the contest is chiefly between NC chief Omar Abdullah and PDP’s Mohammed Afzal. The PDP has left it for others in the Srinagar segments of Idgah, Khanyar, Gandhinagar (Jammu), Jammu West, Marh, Rajpur Domana and Chhamb. The BJP will not contest tomorrow from Kangan and Hazratbal in Srinagar; Batmaloo, Beerwah, Khansahab and Chrar-e-Sharif from Budgam and Bishnah, Rajpur Domana, RS Pora and Chhamb from Jammu. No constituency of the second phase is witnessing a straight contest. There is only one triangular contest — in the Khanyar constituency. The remaining 27 segments will witness multi-cornered contests. Out of the
263 candidates, there are 69 Independents in the fray for 10 Assembly segments of Jammu and Srinagar each; five segments from Beerwah. The maximum number of Independents (8) are contesting from Jammu West, followed by six in Jammu East, five in Gandhinagar and four in Zadibal (Srinagar). Out of the 16 women candidates in the fray, three have been fielded by the Congress, and one each by the BJP, PDP, Janata Dal (U) and Lok Jan Shakti Party. |
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NC, Cong befooling voters: Gupta Jammu, September 23 Addressing series of pre-poll rallies for the third phase of the poll in Kathua district Professor Gupta said there was no surprise if the Congress and the NC joined hands after the poll results were out. He said since the possibility of a hung Assembly was high the NC and the Congress were planning to form a coalition government after the elections. He said it was for the voters to understand their gameplan and defeat the candidates belonging to the NC and the Congress. The BJP leader, who heads the party’s Election Management Committee, said both Congress and the NC were in favour of securing restoration of greater autonomy and for prolonging discrimination of the people of Jammu and Ladakh regions. Professor Gupta said the Congress and the NC had been playing “tricks” to retain power, one gifting power to the other and then the one who has gifted power securing benefits for the party leaders. He said vote against the NC and the Congress was a vote against regional discrimination. He said the BJP-led NDA government had been liberal in releasing funds for the development of Jammu and Kashmir but the NC leaders misappropriated these funds with the result the benefits never percolated to the people. |
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15 envoys arrive for second phase poll Srinagar, September 23 The Canadian delegation comprise Deputy High Commissioner and First Secretary (Political). France, Sweden, Australia, Greece, The Netherlands, Japan and Germany have sent a diplomat each to witness the poll. Official sources told PTI that the diplomats were free to speak to various sections of the people in the valley about the election process and the arrangements made for it. The diplomats would be briefed by Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir Division Pervez
Deewan, after which they would travel to 15 assembly segments in Srinagar and
Budgam. India, while rejecting the role for international observers for the poll, had, however, allowed India-based diplomats of various countries to witness the poll. The first phase of elections left the Election Commission “jubilant” as US Ambassador to India Robert
Blackwill, described the elections as positive and rejected President Pervez Musharraf’s claim that the poll was a sham.
PTI |
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‘It’s NC vs PDP in 46 valley seats’ Jammu, September 23 Mufti Sayeed told newsmen here that voters had ignored militant threats in Kupwara and Baramulla, where polling was held under Phase I, and came out in large numbers to cast their votes simply to defeat the NC. He said that a heavy voter turnout would seal the fate of the NC. In reply to a question the Mufti ruled out an alliance with NC or another party for forming the government at the present moment. He said he would not make any commitment on the prospects of an alliance till the poll results were out. He appreciated the Central Government’s measures for ensuring a free and fair poll. He said Phase I proved that the Prime Minister had fulfilled his commitment on free and fair elections in the state and hoped that the remaining phases, too, would be without rigging. Mufti Sayeed predicted that top leaders of the NC were going to lose because of the anti-incumbency factor. Referring to the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah’s allegation that the recent attack on the life of Tourism Minister, Ms Sakina Itoo, had been organised by the PDP, the Mufti said it was totally false and baseless and indicated the level of frustration on the part of the Chief Minister”. He said four of his party activists had been attacked by gunmen. |
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Sikhs decide to support NC Jammu, September 23 State Gurdwara Prabandhak Board President S. S. Wazir, organised a meeting of various Sikh organisations, including leaders belonging to the Shiromani Akali Dal, Youth Akali Dal and AISSF, where they pledged support to the NC candidate from Gandhinagar, Mr Harbans Singh, and Mr Taranjit Singh from Suchetgarh. A former minister, Mr Rangil Singh, also announced to support the NC candidates in Jammu district, on the plea that the NC being a secular organisation had taken in hand several measures for the welfare of the community in the state. The Forum, led by Mr Charanjit Singh, also announced its support to the NC after a meeting of representatives of the Forum here. The Forum leaders blamed the Congress and the BJP for trying to divide the Sikh voters. They said the BJP had fielded a Sikh candidate who had been expelled from the Akali Dal (B) which indicated that the BJP was against the unity among the Sikhs. They appealed to the Sikh voters to support the NC candidates. |
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Cong can ‘ally with PDP, CPM’
Jammu, September 23 In an interview to UNI, he said there was “no question’’ of the Congress forming an alliance with the ruling National Conference (NC) after the poll. “We will form the government if voter participation is high in the Valley in the next phases of the poll. The NC will face a complete rout if people come out to vote in large numbers,’’ he asserted. Asked which parties the Congress would prefer for a possible post-poll alliance, he said: “I will prefer to tie up with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the dummy candidates of the People’s Conference, the CPM and independents’’. Yesterday, the Congress withdrew its candidates from the Bijbehara, Pahalgam and Homeshlibugh constituencies of Anantnag district, where polling is due on October 1, saying that the party was ready to share power with like-minded secular parties in case of a hung Assembly. Mr Azad said it was essential to defeat the NC if peace and prosperity was to return to Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan, militants and the NC wanted to ensure less polling in the state, he alleged. He claimed that government officials, at the behest of the ruling party, were trying to intimidate Congress leaders, saying that militants might target their election meetings.
UNI |
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Pervez asks APHC for fresh proposals
Srinagar, September 23 This was conveyed by General Musharraf to senior Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Omar Farooq at a meeting held in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session early this month. The
Mirwaiz, who had gone to New York to attend a meeting of the contact group of the Organisation of Islamic Conference
(OIC), Foreign Ministers on Kashmir, told UNI that President Musharraf expressed his readiness to discuss new proposals that would meet the genuine aspirations of the people of the state.
UNI |
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59,027 displaced Pandits to vote
Jammu, September 23 Of these voters, 55,533 alone are in Srinagar district. The Habbakadal Assembly constituency, which sent late NC minister, P.L. Handoo to the state Assembly in 1996, has the highest number of 23,233 voters, followed by 11,213 voters in the Amirakadal constituency of Srinagar city, they told PTI here. As per the breakup, there are 7,848 Kashmiri Pandit voters in the Batamaloo constituency, followed by 5,057 in Hazratbal, 2,690 in Khanayar, 2,119 in Sonawar, 1262 in Idgah, 926 in Ganderbal, 727 in Kangan and 458 in the Zadibal Assembly constituency in Srinagar district, the sources said. Similarly, in Budgam district, there were a total of 3,494 Kashmiri Pandit voters, the sources said and added that of these, the highest of 1,044 were in the Budgam constituency, followed by 855 in Chadoora, 702 in Charar-i-Sharief, 467 in Khansahib and 426 in the Beerwah constituency, they said. “They will decide the fate of 98 candidates, 12 of them Kashmiri Pandits in 15 constituencies of Srinagar and Budgam districts tomorrow”, the sources said. Of the 12 KP candidates in the fray, nine are contesting from the Hindu-dominated Habbakadal constituency, followed by one each in the Amirakadal, Sonawar and Idgah constituencies. From Habbakadal, besides the son-in-law of late P.L. Handoo, Raman Mattoo, who is contesting as an independent candidate, Hiralal Chatta (BJP), B.K. Vaishnavi (PDP), S.K. Tikoo (Awami League), B.B. Koul (Shiv Sena) and Ashok Kak (Ind) are among the 11 in the fray of which nine are Pandits. Only the NC and the Congress have fielded Muslims Shameema and Mohammad Sultan, respectively, in this constituency, the sources said and added that Lalit Moza (BJP), Gopi Krishen Muju (BJP) and Romesh Lal (JKNPP) were contesting from Amirakadal, Sonawar and Idgah, respectively.
PTI |
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In
video: The police steps up
night patrolling as anti-poll violence heightens ahead of the second
round of voting in Jammu and Kashmir. (
