Jammu, October 2
The smooth conduct of elections on October 8 in the terrorism-affected Doda district will be the real test for the state government as well as security forces. Doda is known as the hotbed of terrorism and it adjoins Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh.

Polling has been completed in other 13 districts of the state. Only Doda district will go to the polls in the fourth and final phase next Tuesday.

With terrorists of almost all outfits and foreign mercenaries, here, Doda has perhaps been left for the final phase of polling. Many personnel of central and state security forces will be available for duty there. The upper reaches of the district are considered safe haven for terrorists.

Many areas of the six segments are inaccessible and helicopters will be utilised for carrying polling material and 244 members of the staff to 46 such polling stations, the newly appointed Deputy Commissioner, Mr Basharat Ahmed Dar, told TNS over telephone today.

The earlier Deputy Commissioner and the SSP of the district have been transferred on the orders of the Election Commission.

The area is so sensitive that every candidate has been given a bullet-proof vehicle, a police pilot vehicle and an escort vehicle for the campaign. There are 56 candidates in the fray and their houses are being guarded by the police.

The bloodshed and explosions carried out by terrorists yesterday during the third phase of polling and today in various parts of the state indicates that the elections in Doda are not going to be a peaceful affair. Terrorist outfits here have been receiving messages from Pakistan to disrupt the election process so that people get scared of coming out to vote. Some such messages have been intercepted by the security forces.

Mr Dar said the candidates had been asked to give advance information to the authorities regarding their movement and public meetings so that the are could be combed.

Three-tier security is being provided by deploying military personnel on higher areas, with security forces in strength in the second and third rings. The same procedure will be followed to protect each of the 534 polling stations in the district. As many as 243 of these polling stations have been declared hyper-sensitive and the remaining 291 sensitive.

The district has been divided into 28 security zones, each headed by a Magistrate.

Mr Dar said although Doda was a difficult district, the administration was not worried as adequate security arrangements had been made. About 3,000 poll personnel from other places had been put on duty.

The elections, particularly in Doda and Bhaderwah, are high profile as many senior leaders are contesting from these constituencies.