MASROOR AHMAD
SRINAGAR: The residents of Srinagar city have been silent on the election process for the last three decades. People were not ready to pay attention to the election process. Three decades ago, when the people of Srinagar city were enthusiastically participating in elections, due to the unrest in Valley people remained silent on the both Parliamentary and State Assembly elections and many areas of Srinagar recorded zero percents voting during the election. And there are hundreds of people who have not cast vote in their lives till date.
This silence mostly affected political leaders who could not reach out to the general electorate during the process and it was not possible to hold such a large election rally within the downtown areas during this
ling period, especially in the heart of Srinagar city.
After nearly three decades, the bustle for polls has returned in both uptown and downtown areas of Srinagar. There is a significant change in the political atmosphere and political scene in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir in this Lok Sabha polls, the first major electoral exercise in J&K after Article 370 abrogation.
Contesting candidates are openly holding poll rallies and corner meetings in the sensitive downtown areas which, in past, used to be no-go areas for the mainstream leaders.
Today the Apni Party hold road showat Khanyar Srinagar. The party president Altaf Bukhari and Srinagar
Lok Sabha seat candidate Ashraf Mir paid obeisance at Dastgeer Sahab Shrine and Later visit Historical Jamia Masjid Nowhatta along with party workers and supporters.
Earlier the National Conference and PDP have been holding election campaigns in both the uptown and
sensitive downtown areas of Srinagar.
The Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, which is spread over five districts – Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal in central Kashmir and Pulwama and Shopian in south Kashmir, will go to polls on May 13.
A total of 24 candidates are in the fray for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat but the main contest is between NC’s Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, PDP’s Waheed-ur-Rehman Para and Apni Party’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir. Unlike the past when poll campaigning used to be a very low key affair, this time the poll fever has gripped the summer capital as well.
The parties and the contesting candidates are freely canvassing both in the uptown and volatile downtown areas to garner public support.
Former J&K Chief Minister and NC Vice President Omar Abdullah addressed a well attended poll rally in Hawal area of downtown Srinagar.
The party workers and participants were waving the NC flags. Hawal is part of volatile downtown Srinagar and many encounters and militancy incidents had taken place in the past in the area.
It is not the only rally addressed by Omar or NC leader in downtown Srinagar in this election. “We have held a series of poll rallies both in uptown and downtown” There is great enthusiasm among the people and they are eager to cast their votes.
People are not able to vent their anger over Article 370 abrogation and they want to show their anger through their votes,” Imran said. The venue of every poll rally or corner meeting is decorated with buntings and flags of political parties and posters of contesting candidates and their leaders.
“There is no fear among the contesting candidates this time. The candidates are openly canvassing without any public rallies, corner meetings and door to door campaigns.
They campaign even during the evening hours,” said PDP secretary. “People are welcoming us wholeheartedly. We held poll rallies in Haba Kadal, Zadibal, Chanapora and some other areas of Srinagar,” he said. Due to boycott politics, Srinagar LS seat had recorded only 15.6 per cent turnout in 2019 polls with Srinagar spread over 8 Assembly seats recording only 7.7 per cent polling. However, political leaders said due to enthusiasm among the people, they are expecting greater participation of people in polls this
time. Both say the voter turnout will be higher than previous years