People voted with enthusiasm today, indicating a vote for change. Ignoring the call for a poll boycott, the people, especially in the Jammu region, keep up the polling trend started during the first phase on November 17.

Long queues ouitside polling stations indicated a high poll percentage, even though data was still pouring till late this evening.

Baring some reports of clashes, dominance by security agencies prevented the militants from making any attempt at disrupting the poll.

Initial reports from the Jammu region indicated that the polling was significantly higher as compared to the 2002 elections and had crossed the 60 per cent mark towards the afternoon.

In Jammu's hill district of Rajouri, four constituencies of Kalakot, Rajouri, Nowshera and Darhal went to the polls today.

The issue of development largely dominated today’s poll though some areas of Nowshera like Sundarbani that adjoin Jammu district and have predominantly Hindu voters voted with the Amarnath land row in mind.

After trend of the poll started coming, it showed that Independent candidates were giving party nominees a tough fight.

This indicates that the people have gone in for clean image of a candidate while making their choice instead of making a decision on the basis of the party a candidate represented.

The mood of the voters at various places indicated a “vote for change”, spelling bad news for candidates who had retained their seats for long.

Security forces planned a well-coordinated exercise with the Army making its presence felt on the roads and in areas close to the polling booths while CISF, CRPF and state police personnel manned the booths.

Political observers feel that the election trends as shown in the first two phases of polling today and on November 17 show positive signs of large-scale participation indicating people’s strong opposition to militants and their call for “azadi”.

However, with five phases to go before the elections end on December 24, it is yet to be seen if the trend of heavy voting persists.

Rajouri, November 23
In the absence of proper verifying process, thousands of bogus votes were cast in all four constituencies of Rajouri district, which went to polls today.

The Tribune team, which visited the constituencies (Rajouri, Darhal, Nowshera and Kalakote), found children (below 18 years) casting votes. Even those who didn’t qualify to vote from the constituency voted without fear.

At Nadiyaan polling station, 16-year-old Asgar Ali of Reikibaan came to cast the vote of his brother Rashid Hussain, (who is in Srinagar pursuing engineering course) bearing number 356 in the voter list.

When asked why he is doing it, he replied: “Though not eligible, why should I waste my brother’s vote?”

Around hundred non-state subject voters, especially labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, also cast their votes today across the four constituencies.

A labourer from Dharbanga district in Bihar, who didn’t disclose his name, cast the vote of one Naresh Kumar having number 596 in the voters’ list at Dhandidaar polling station of Rajouri assembly segment.

“Though I know it is illegal to cast other person’s vote, it hardly matters when I am getting money for it,” a non-state subject labourer said asking not to be named.

Meanwhile, this correspondent, who is from Bhadarwah tehsil in Doda district and doesn’t qualify as a voter here, managed to get a voting slip of one Ghani Shyam having number 548 in the voters’ list at Government Higher Secondary School (Boys) Rajouri, but didn’t cast the vote because it would have been illegal.

These are not isolated cases where bogus voters managed to cast votes. There
have been reports of thousands of such people (non-qualifying and underage),
who voted illegally.

Talking over the phone, B.R. Sharma, chief electoral officer, said: “We will verify
these reports.”

Regarding non-verification of the identity of the voters by the election staff, he added that there are 17 different documents by which the identity of the voters could be verified.

Jammu, November 23
The way women have forged ahead in the Amarnath land row, they have certainly made their presence felt quite strongly in the region.

The participation of the women is going be a deciding factor in the results of the Assembly elections in the state.

Unlike the old perception when women would cast their vote as per the dictates
of male members of the family, the women here in the region are geared up to cast
their vote.

Women here are not ready to be smitten by the attractive proposals of 33 per cent reservation for them in the Assembly.

Anita Bhardwaj, a doctor, said: “How long women can be fooled in name of 33 per cent reservation? There are some selfish male chauvinists who cannot see women heading to the galleries of power. So I am not going to be taken in by such kind of hollow promises.”

Vimla Devi, a vegetable seller, said: “I am definitely not going to be influenced by pleadings of the candidates who show their faces during the election period only.”

She said: “I am going to vote for the candidate who will promise to provide us basic amenities such as water, electricity and shelter.”

Rohini Gupta, a teacher at Jammu University, said: “I will caste my vote keeping in mind the past performance of the candidate.”

She said: “The Amarnath land issue had been politicised by the local and the national political parties. I will vote for the candidate who will emphasise on development works in my area and provide job opportunities to the youngsters.”

For Shalini Pradhan, a DPS teacher, profile and work of a candidate is not an issue as long as the candidate is from the Congress party.

Jammu, November 23
Even as political leaders are busy passing the baton on to their own blood, a political party has dared to challenge dynastic politics in the state.

The Jammu and Kashmir National United Front (JKNUF), a political outfit promoted by Kashmiri pandits (KPs), has decided to field candidates against NC patron Farooq Abdullah from Hazratbal, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti from Wachi and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir from Gulmarg.

Talking to The Tribune, JKNUF working president A.K. Dewani said: "We want to protest against dynastic rule which has harmed the state, politically, economically and socially. Right from Independence, power has remained in the hands of a few families due to which the vested interests have become stronger. It has become a case of 5 per cent ruling the remaining 95 per cent. By contesting these seats we want to give a message to the people that dynastic rule is not good for the state."

He felt that the parties from outside the state were not given a chance to flourish. According to him, while the minorities have not been taken care of, the state has not witnessed development, both in terms of infrastructure and employment opportunities, in the past over 60 years.

"Our children are heading towards others states in absence of job avenues here and if the trend continued our state will turn into an old age home one day," he quipped.

The party has fielded 12 more candidates in different constituencies, including Sopore, Kupwara and Amirakadal.

The party candidates, who held a door-to-door campaign in Jammu and Delhi have now left for Srinagar to campaign in their respective constituencies.

During the campaign, Dewani cautioned the community members against the designs of vested political interests and urged them to elect their own representatives to be a part of the state governing apparatus.

He said the party was committed to getting the community its due share in government jobs and creating employment opportunities for the youth.

Accusing the Congress, NC and the PDP of ignoring the interests of the community in exile, he said it was high time that the forces hell bent upon weakening the state's bond with the rest of India were pushed to the margin.

Jammu, November 23
The Congress is facing revolt in at least three Assembly constituencies of Kathua going to the polls in the fifth phase on December 13.

With November 24 being the last date of nomination, the political scene has hot up in the district. Among the rebels is former minister Babu Singh, who has been denied the ticket from Kathua. He had won the seat as an Independent in 2002.

Later, he joined the Congress and also held a key portfolio like power in the previous Congress-PDP regime.

The party, however, opted for Udhampur-Doda MP Lal Singh this time. Lal Singh's wife, Kanta Andotra, is also contesting elections on Congress ticket from Basohli.

Lal Singh had won the last Assembly elections from Basohli seat, which he vacated after winning the Lok Sabha elections in 2004.

In the by election from Basohli, his wife, Kanta, defeated BJP candidate Jagdish Raj Sapolia in October, 2004.

Babu Singh had put up a show of strength prior to the allotment of ticket , but it seemed to have made no impact on the party decision.

The Congress is facing another rebel, Naresh Sharma, a senior party leader and ex-MC chief of Kathua, in the Kathua Assembly segment.

Sharma said: "The Congress will pay a heavy price for its move to allot the ticket to Lal Singh. The party had no dearth of dedicated workers, but still it chose to stick to a family already having an MP and an MLA. Nobody from the district Congress was consulted over the ticket."

Similarly, in Billawar, there are two Congress rebels against the party's official nominee, Dr Manohar Lal Sharma, who too had won as an Independent in 2002, defeating Congress candidate Balbir Singh by over 14,000 votes.

However, this time these two political bigwigs are in for a role reversal, as after being denied the party ticket, Balbir Singh is contesting as an Independent.

Also joining the electoral fray is YC leader Pankaj Dogra, who would contesting
as an Independent.

"There is huge resentment among the party workers and nobody is supporting the party's official nominee," said Balbir Singh.

He added that he would contest elections on the plank of development.

In Hiranagar, the Congress has re-nominated Girdhari Lal who had defeated his BJP rival Gopal Dass by over 18,000 votes in the last Assembly elections.

However, the party's decision has not gone down well with senior Congress leader Tara Chand Bhagat, who may also join the poll fray as an Independent.

Jammu, November 23
About 2 lakh exservicemen in the state have decided to support those candidates who would take up their cause.

With more than 2,000 army personnel retiring every year in the state, exservicemen have emerged as a force to reckon with.

They have this time decided to support the party that clearly spells out a plan to address their grievances in its election manifesto.

"All previous governments have been ignoring our genuine demands. Though they promised to address our grievances, but nobody bothered to solve our problems," Maj-Gen Goverdhan Singh Jamwal (retd), president of the All J&K Ex-servicemen League, told The Tribune.

He said the league met former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in December, 2006, and presented a memorandum.

"He conceded that our demands were genuine and sent the proposal to the Cabinet subcommittee, but nothing came of it."

The main demands of ex-servicemen are reservation in the government sector as
in Himachal Pradesh.

"We want 15 per cent reservation in all government jobs as in HP. As many as 1.60 lakh appointments were made from 1994 to 2002, but not even one of us was accommodated," Jamwal said.

They have also been demanding exemption of VAT on CSD items as in other north
Indian states.

Ganderbal, November 23
It was a different day and place and, moreover, Ganderbal, which was in the centre of Amarnath land row, was supposedly more conducive to the separatists' scheme of things than distant Bandipora, but the script did not change much for the proponents of boycott.

In a polling booth at Saloora, 20-year-old Farzan Ahmad while waiting patiently in queue told The Tribune that he could not understand why boycotting elections and, in turn, facing unaccountable rulers could help Kashmir.

"It's better to vote for a candidate I like. There are some friends of mine who are emotional over so many deaths in Kashmir recently and supported the boycott call. But there are many who think we should vote to choose a better government," the IIIrd year student said earnestly.

The high-profile constituency, where NC president Omar Abdullah is locked in a triangular battle with PDP's Qazi Afzal and the Congress, carried some signs of support for the boycott campaign but it was confined to some urban pockets.

An anti-election crowd damaged some vehicles in Barsoo early morning and repeated it in Beehima, both falling in Ganderbal town.

They were small in numbers who kept an eye on election booths to "identify" those who voted.

In the first three hours only 20 and 32 persons out of a total of 658 and 663 voters in Beehima's two booths voted.

Such instances were more an exception than the norm in Ganderbal constituency.

People in areas like Wussan, which had seen strong azadi protests of late, came out in large numbers and many told this paper that they had taken part in protests but were voting because they wanted a better administration.

"Hurriyatwale apni duniya mein rahte hain (Hurriyat lives in its own world). When the NC and the PDP say that the elections have nothing to do with the Kashmir issue, then what is the problem in voting," Saiffulah Bhat (42) said.

Many said there was more enthusiasm among voters than in the 2002 elections when Ganderbal polled around 35 per cent.

Areas like Saloora had kept away from polling last time due to the militants' threat but had long queues today.

"It's a very encouraging sign for Kashmir. People are thinking independently," a government doctor said.

The place also saw commotion as many woman voters shouted and raised slogans as presiding officers turned them away because of lack of adequate identity papers.

Yasmin (22) said the family's ration card, which carried her name, bore her father's photograph but officials were asking to bring her father to identify her.

The Gujjar-dominated Kangan has never been a separatist' hold and large queues of voters were visible across the constituency where spiritual and political leader of Gujjars, Mian Altaf, is seeking re-election on the NC ticket.

Occupied by the Pakistani Army during the 1965 war and frequented by militants in the last decade, people of this village today realise the true value of freedom that they have lost twice.

After the Pakistanis were pushed back and infiltration checked from the nearby points of Meenka, Shanak and Sarhiala points, residents of villages on the border are now unitedly fighting politicians, who took them for a ride.

People here lined up much before 8 am when the voting started and maintained long queues till 4 pm, recording an unusual high polling from border villages of Peli, Gandeh and Fal.

Comprising of Hindus, this last polling booth in the Nowshera constituency voted with vengeance to preserve their “identity and freedom” on the Amarnath issue.

Peli - the last polling station of the Nowshera segment - is 8 km from Sunderbani.

“Not let a single militant has successfully infiltrated from the border or the nearby LoC. Many have tried to enter India, but all have met the same fate. The last encounter between the security forces and the militants happened in February this year,” said retired Captain K.L. Sharma.

Today’s voting took place here with the same sentiment. It was mainly in response to the “Amarnath issue” with people feeling that the temple row has once again challenged and questioned their religious and cultural identity.

Traditionally Congress supporters, most voted for the BJP “for preservation of their identity” following the Jammu agitation.

By around 1.40 pm, 521 out of 856 voters had polled their vote (over 60 per cent) and the numbers were only swelling.

Interestingly, both men and women comprise exactly 50 per cent of the voters (both having 428 votes each).

Also, the votes polled were exactly the same for both men and women.

“We will not let anyone oppress us, so most people voted for the BJP as the last government tried to appease the Muslims on the Amarnath land row. Each house sent a family member to Jammu to participate in the agitation and we want to tell the NC and Congress that if we can brave the Pakistanis and the militants, we can oppose their injustice too,” said a village elder.

Expressing the sentiment of the villagers, Teg Ram said: “Government High School, Peli (where the polling took place) was occupied by the Pakistanis for 15 to 20 days. They were in our homes and on our fields and the trauma is yet far from over. People here have seen shelling from across the border.”

“People are tough and don’t tolerate oppression, so problems of unemployment, lack of development and the Amarnath row are bound to have a fallout on the poll outcome,” he added.

“We know the BJP may not be able to form the government, but even if it wins 10 or 12 seats, it may be part of a coalition government,” said Sanjay Sudan summing up the mood of the people at the nearby Sodra polling station.

The party president assured the members that their suggestions would be brought to the notice of high command so that they could work whole-heartedly and vote as per the party directive.

Jammu, November 23
Jat Kalyan Sabha president Dewan Singh today announced that the Jat community will support only that political party which would back their demand for OBC status.

Addressing a press conference here today, Dewan Singh alleged that almost all political parties had ditched the community for the past over 60 years.

"Every time they promised OBC status to Jats, but never concede our genuine demand," he added.

He said while the Jats in Rajasthan, Delhi, UP, MP, Himachal, Uttarakhand and Gujarat had been enjoying OBC status, it was not so in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Our community, which mostly stays in border areas, is a neglected lot in every sphere of life. We are even denied the basic amenities," he said.

He added that the community had to shift to safer places whenever there was any disturbance in border areas.

The community's plight could be judged from the fact that none of its members held any key position in the civil administration.

"There is not even a single IAS, IPS, IFS, KAS officer of the community in the state," he rued.

Jammu, November 23
Several students, belonging to SC, ST and OBC category, have alleged that they have not received post-matriculation scholarship for 2007-08, without which they are facing difficulties to sustain their studies at college and university level.

These cases have come up from M.M. College, from where these students, who they once studied in the college, receive their scholarships for pursuing further studies.

The college gets required amount from government’s Social Welfare Department.

Mohammad Sageer, a first year student in Jamia Millia Islamia and a resident of Rajouri belonging to ST community, said under the scholarship they get Rs 4,000 to 6,000 every year during the month of May-June.

“The amount might be meagre but it helps in getting admission to the next class or procuring books,” he said.

Echoing similar views, Showkat Ali, a resident of Reasi doing post-graduation in Jammu University, said: “While, the department authorities hold that they have disbursed the funds, the college authorities deny the same,” he complained.

Prof Hans Raj, in charge scholarship committee, MAM College, denied having received any funds from the department concerned.

Laj Ram, director, Social Welfare, said: “We have released the funds to all the
educational institutions.”

However, he did not rule out any possibility of delay due to incomplete or error in
paper work.

Srinagar, November 23
Non-implementation of the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) introduced by the coalition government of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has left fruit growers and traders high and dry this year.

The government procured culls and “C” grade apples from the fruit growers that helped in easy grading of apples. High quality apples - “A” and “B” - grade were easily segregated from the rest.

Few years back, culls was considered as a waste. Either it was consumed by cattle or decayed naturally.

The scheme was a step towards adding value to the fruits as they were properly categorised and there was no mixing.

“The culls are preferred for extracting juices and jams. High juice content of culls offers better market all over the world and we get good amount for it. However, high-quality apples, owing to their economic value, are less preferred for juice and jam extraction. Since the scheme was not initiated by the government, fruit growers suffered heavy losses,” Mohammad Sultan, a fruit trader from Shopian, said.

“The government acquired culls and “C” grade apples from us and sold them to various companies. This increased its market potential and grading of apples was done accordingly. High-quality apple left behind was sold at high price,” Ali Mohammad, a fruit grower, said.

The scheme generally supported marginalised farmers, but non-seriousness of the government during this year has affected them.

“We suffered on two fronts; culls and “C” grade apples were lost and grading was not done due to mixing of “C” grade apples with high-quality produce. We couldn’t maintain quality and suffered losses in terms of selling “C” grade apples that earned good profits for us,” Wani Mohammad Amin, president of Fruit Growers Association, Handwara, said.

Jammu, November 23
Despite the fact that use of polythene bags is hazardous for environment, people continue to use them in abundance for domestic as well as for commercial purposes.

Anil Raina, head of the Department Environmental Science, Jammu University, said: “Although the use of polythene is banned, its use is rampant among the city residents. It shows that the municipal corporation authorities have failed to implement the ban properly.”

He said: “It is difficult for them to keep a check on everyone, but they can generate awareness about its degrading effects through the print and the electronic media and by conducting awareness camps.”

He said, “The government should also introduce an alternative for it. Its indiscriminate use not only clogs the flow of water in the Tawi river, but also generates air pollution and soil degradation at large scale.”

Roop Lal Makhnotra of Janipur said: “I often see polythene bags scattered in the
lanes and streets of my colony. To check this menace, the government should
ban its manufacturing.”

Suman Pandita of Patoli said: “The use of polythene is hazardous for the environment. But until and unless we do not have any alternative of it, we have no option but to use it. It is a necessary evil.”

Municipal health officer K.D. Singh said, “Though a ban has been imposed on its use, but its manufacturers have taken a stay from the court. We do not allow the use of coloured polythene bags. Also its thickness should be less than 20 micron.”

The driver died on the spot while his associate was critically injured. — UNI