Jammu, December 5
With the Congress-led UPA government cutting the prices of petrol and diesel, other political parties contesting the state Assembly poll are in a tizzy, apprehending a change in the voting pattern in the last three phases of elections to be held after December 8.

The last three phases to be held on December 13, 17 and 24 may lead to electoral gains for the Congress after the price cut, giving the much-needed boost to the party's sagging poll fortunes in the state.

Former state BJP president Nirmal Singh said: "Though we are not opposed to slashing fuel prices, this is not the right time to do it. Already the poll results of five states are being declared before the completion of the election process in Jammu and Kashmir, which will influence the voting pattern here. The EC should have scheduled the state Assembly poll in such a manner that its result too could have been declared with other states. It seems that they don't consider J&K as a part of India." He said now that the government has gone ahead with the petro price cut prior to the last phase of poll here, the party would lodge a protest with the EC.

Former minister and senior Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh dubbed the move as a poll gimmick. He said first the government "fleeced the people by implementing an unreasonable fuel price hike and is now trying to befool the electorate" by slashing prices at the time of elections. He said: "The EC should suo motu take cognizance of violations being made by the state as well as the Central government."

Jammu State Morcha (Progressive) president Virender Gupta said though it was a welcome step, it should have been either done earlier or after December 24, claiming that it would influence voters in the state.

Interestingly, the regional players like the NC and the PDP think that it would not affect much the voting pattern.

Srinagar, December 5
As the campaigning ended in 18 constituencies spread over Baramulla and Budgam in Kashmir, and Reasi and Udhampur districts in Jammu division came to an end today, leaders of various political parties made strenuous efforts to woo voters.

Seven constituencies in Baramulla district, five in Budgam and three each in Reasi and Udhampur districts are going to the polls in the fourth phase on Sunday.

NC president Omar Abdullah said if voted to power it would focus on addressing the grievances of the common man and decentralise the process of governance to the panchayat level.

Addressing rallies in the Rafiabad and Sangrama constituencies of Baramulla district, Omar said local self-government at the grassroots level should be institutionalised and strengthened to ensure people’s participation in decision-making.

PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said the coalition government after depoliticising the institution of Auqaf Islamia would create the Muslim Wakf Board to streamline its functioning and utilise the income on productive social and religious activities. Addressing an election rally in Chrar-e-Sharief (Budgam district) today, Mufti Sayeed said his government constituted the Wakf Board in 2003, which took control of the shrines and religious properties in the state to ensue that their income was put to proper use. Within three years, two universities-Islamic University of Science and Technology at Awantipora and Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University at Rajouri, and Bibi Haleema Nursing College in Srinagar were set up by the Wakf Board with the donations made at various shrines.

State president of the Congress Saiffudin Soz visited Charar-i-Sharief and Chadoora and paid obeisance at the shrine of Shiekh Nooruddin Wali.

He declared that he would join the people’s movement for fulfilment of their demands as these areas had got neglected in the process of development. He appealed to the people to vote for the Congress in the two constituencies

Meanwhile,The security forces face their biggest challenge when 18 seats seats go to the polls on Sunday, including 12 in the valley. This is the maximum number of seats in Kashmir facing poll in one round, including all seven seats of Baramulla district and five seats of Badgam district.

The BSF has pushed in 107 companies for smooth conduct of poll. S.K. Singh DIG, Kashmir Frontier, told The Tribune that the BSF's deployment would be more than that of any other central police organisation (CPOs). "We will especially man booths facing militant threat or are extra-sensitive," he said. As many as 206 companies of all CPOs, including the CRPF, CISF, ITBP, besides the BSF, have been deployed for the fourth phase of poll in Kashmir.

Baramulla has 743 polling booths, including 400 hyper-sensitive and 343 sensitive booths while Budgam has 203 hyper-sensitive booths. S.K.Singh said intelligence inputs suggested that militants were planning to disrupt the poll by all means.

Jammu, December 5
“The BJP is for the first time fighting from all major seats and expecting a major role in the formation of government,” Chief Minister of Himachal Pardesh Prem Kumar Dhumal, who was in Jammu to oversee the BJP’s campaign, told mediapersons today.

Referring to the recent Mumbai terror attacks, he said: “While the terrorists held hostages in Mumbai, the Prime Minister was watching the situation helplessly,” Dhumal said, adding that a government which cannot protect its people has no right to govern.

The entire world is ready to support the government. Some newspapers reported that US president-elect Barak Obama offered support to the government to attack training camps of terrorists in Pakistan. However, defence minister Pranab Mukherjee refused to take any such action against Pakistan. This indecisiveness of the central government has jeopardised the security of the nation.

The terrorism and corruption has dealt a severe blow to the development of the state and led to a palpable crisis of acute unemployment. He said: “The state government was given Rs 44,000 crore, but no worthwhile change took place on the ground.

Udhampur, December 5
On the last day of the campaigning for the six Assembly segments of Udhampur and Reasi districts, the BJP deputed its two stalwarts from Himachal Pradesh, while Congress chief ministerial candidate Ghulam Nabi Azad has himself taken the charge of canvassing in the mountainous belt of the Jammu province.

BJP leaders raked up the issue of the Mumbai attacks to corner the UPA regime and minced no words in lambasting the Congress for its soft approach in dealing with terrorism. In their last attempt to woo the voters, the BJP leaders cautioned the people that the country was not safe in the hands of weak Congress leadership.

Ghulam Nabi Azad on the other hand sough support of the people on the developmental plank and said the formation of the Congress government was must to fulfill the incomplete tasks.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar addressed series of public meetings in Reasi and Udhampur districts to garner support for the BJP candidates in this belt.

Speaking at a rally in Reasi, Shanta Kumar blamed the Congress-led UPA regime for repeated terrorist attacks in the country.

He regretted that instead of taking strict action against the terrorists, the Congress-led government was soft towards anti-national forces. Addressing a public meeting at Manwal, Dhumal said the country was not safe in the hands of the weak UPA regime.

Udhampur, December 5
The Panthers Party (JKNPP), which swept the 2002 assembly polls in Udhampur district, is finding it difficult to retain all three seats as the party has been facing tough fight from rival candidates this time.

On the one hand, the BJP has regained some of its lost ground in the Udhampur and Chenani assembly segments, while on the other hand, the BSP's decision to give nomination to an “upper caste” candidate from the Ramnagar assembly seat so far proved beneficial as party candidate Vinod Khajuria has, to some extent, consolidated the Brahamin-SC votes.

Considered as citadel of the JKNPP, the Ramnagar assembly segment this time is witnessing keen contest between former education minister- a JKNPP stalwart Harshdev Singh and BSP’s Vinod Khajuria, who was earlier a close confidant of the former.

In the Udhampur assembly segment JKNPP candidate Balwant Singh Mankotia had created a history in 2002 assembly election by defeating BJP candidate Pawan Gupta. Mankotia had defeated Gupta with a huge margin.

Gupta is again contesting against Mankotia but is changed this time. On the one hand the BJP has regained its lost vote bank while on the other, there is sympathy wave in favour of Gupta due to the death of his father Lala Shiv Charan. Furthermore, Congress candidate Brij Mohan Sharma is also consolidating his position with every passing day and he has caused damage to theJKNPP nominee. In 2002 elections, the Congress vote bank was virtually shifted towards the JKNPP but this party has recaptured its lost ground.

At Chenani, sitting JKNPP MLA Faqir Nath is facing anti-incumbency factor. BJP candidate Dina Nath and Congress candidate Krishan Bhagat are giving him a tough fight.

The JKNPP, which emerged stronger in 2002 assembly elections with four seats in its tally, is working overtime to retain its previous position but the party has tough contest with the BJP and the Congress this time.

Srinagar, December 5
For the first time in the electoral history of Jammu and Kashmir, there are three former Chief Ministers in the fray for the ongoing Assembly elections. They are Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Farooq Abdullah contesting from Doda, Anantnag and Srinagar districts, respectively.

This is for the first time that the two Chief Ministers, Azad and Mufti Mohammad are enjoying this distinction after serving as the Chief Ministers during the past six years.

The two coalition partners, the Congress and the PDP, after 2002 elections, giving each party’s Chief Minister a stint of three years, Azad had to take over from Mufti on November 2, 2005. However, Azad’s three-year term ended prematurely four months earlier on July 7, when he tendered his resignation without going for a floor test in the state Assembly after the PDP’s withdrawal of support.

He seeks re-election from his home constituency. The Bhaderwah constituency. PDP patron Mufti Mohammad, having nearly four-decades-long political career in the Congress, now is in the fray from the Anantnag constituency of south Kashmir.

NC patron Farooq Abdullah has the distinction of being elected as the Chief Minister for five terms, with only one full term of six years between 1996 and 2002. While Omar is again contesting from Ganderbal this time, Farooq is in the field from Hazratbal and Sonwar constituencies in Srinagar.

Budgam, December 5
Enthusiastic supporters of Hakeem Yasin loaded in several buses as people came out in large numbers in Budgam leave little room for doubts that the former minister, who has floated his own party, is on a strong wicket in his home turf.

Yasin is fighting from Budgam as well as Khansahib, his old constituency. If any taint of the infamous sex scandal has stuck to his image, it is at least not visible. Though not accused by the CBI, his name had cropped up during the probe, raising a lot of muck in its trail.

“He has made roads and given us schools. Sex scandal is just a gossip. He has been good to us," Abdul Ahad, a supporter said.

Yaseen and his candidates, fighting as the Peoples Democratic Front's contestants, name of his party, have added spice to the battle for the five seats, where the PDP and the NC have strong presence.

The separatist's call for boycott has not much appeal in this central Kashmir district, partly due to strong presence of Shias and political personalities involved in the electoral battle.

If Yasin is almost a certainty from at least one of the two constituencies he is fighting from, then NC’s bigwig Abdul Rahim Rather is also expecting win from Charar-i-Sharif, which has been sending him to the Assembly continuously since 1977.

The PDP and the NC had won two seats each from Budgam while Khansahib remained with Yasin.

Political observers say both parties are again neck and neck and the PDP is banking on “good work” of its patron and former CM Mufti Sayeed to maintain if not improve upon its previous tally.

Srinagar/ Jammu, December 5
Tributes were paid to the Sher-e-Kashmir, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, on his 103rd birth anniversary at his graveyard at Hazratbal near here today. NC patron Farooq Abdullah, president, Omar Abdullah, general secretary, Sheikh Nazir Ahmed, and other party elders and family members paid tributes.

Among others who paid tributes included the NC leaders, Mehboob Beg, Mohd Akbar Lone, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Abdul Rahim Rather, Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Mian Altaf Ahmed, Ch. Mohammad Ramzan, Mir Saifullah, Peerzada Gh. Ahmed Shah, Mohd Sayeed Akhoon, Mohd Yasin Shah, Mubarak Ahmed Gull and Devender Singh Rana.

Meanwhile in Jammu, using the occasion to brighten the party prospects, NC leaders yet again made promises to “bring an end to the miseries of people in the restive state”.

After paying homage to him, former minister and senior vice-president of the party Harbans Singh said the NC, after coming to power, would bring a special employment policy for the youth of the state. Recalling indispensable services of late Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, Singh said he always worked for the welfare of the people and had envisaged a dream for peace and progress of the people in the state. Senior party leader Rattan Lal Gupta said the firebrand secular leader of all times implemented the agrarian reforms to give rights to the tiller, which till date had not been implemented in any part of the country.

Earlier, senior party leaders and people from different walks of life, prominent citizens thronged the party office in large number to pay tributes to the late leader.

Jammu, December 5
Constant infiltration from Bangladesh poses a serious threat to national integration and security, and violated basis of the partition, former union minister Subramaniam Swamy said while addressing a seminar on illegal Bangladeshi infiltration organised by the ABVP here .

Swamy said Bangladeshi infiltration was also dangerous because they form the terror infrastructure for Jihadi outfits to launch brutal attacks on other communities. “The infiltrators exploiting lacunae in the system eventually become part of the votebank and elect people with criminal records,” he added.

“Infiltration changes the demographic and religious composition of the nation. Apart from the demographic changes, it also takes away resources from Indians,” he said.

Rampant settlement of Bangladeshis on Indian soil sounded ominous for indigenous tribes, culture, languages and varied religious groups residing in the country for time immemorial, he averred.

ABVP national secretary Sriniwas demanded that strict laws should be framed to deport infiltrators to Bangladesh.

Varinder Kundal, associate professor, Economic Department, University of Jammu, claimed that as per the data available with the Election Commission of India (ECI), Assam had registered rise in 14.52 per cent voters in 2004-2005. Earlier, the rise was 2.62 per cent in 2002-2003.

Quoting the report of a survey conducted by the United National Organisation (UNO), Kundal said about one crore Bangladeshis had settled in the country while on an average 6,000 of them infiltrate into India daily.

Srinagar, December 5
A curfew-like situation prevailed here today with heavy deployment of paramilitary troops to prevent demonstrations a call for which had been given by the separatist coordination committee in protest against the ongoing electoral process.

The coordination committee had called for a complete bandh and anti-election demonstrations after the Friday prayers across the Kashmir valley today. It had also been giving a call for anti-election marches to the district headquarters where elections were being held though strict security measures foiled such attempts on the past three occasions. Normal life was paralysed in response to the bandh call and heavy deployment of security personnel here and in other major towns, Anantnag and Baramulla in the valley. Shops and business establishments, educational institutions, government offices and banks remained closed. Traffic was off the main roads it plied on inter-district roads and other areas of the valley, reports received here said.

APHC chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the police prevented people from converging on the Jama Masjid. The Mirwaiz and Syed Ali Geelani continue to be under house arrest to prevent any anti-election demonstrations, while several other leaders have been detained ahead of the polls. An official spokesman said that over 10,000 persons visited the shrine of Khanqah-e-Moalla here and offered prayers on the annual Urs of Hazrat Mir Syed Ali Hamdani.

Udhampur, December 5
To garner support for party candidates, different groups of Mahila Congress workers led by state president Mahila Congress Indu Pawar today addressed series of public meetings in the Udhampur and Chenani assembly segments in support of party candidates Brij Mohan Sharma and Krishan Bhagat.

Speaking in a series of meetings at Ghordi, Chenani, Latti and others areas, Pawar cautioned the people against those forces that had been raking up emotional issue to get political support. She asked the people to cast their votes on the basis of performance and reject those forces who had been trying to befool them.