Independents also made their presence felt, with individuals like Wahida Tabasum, Qazi Ashraf, Fida Hussain Dar, and others throwing their hats into the ring…reports Asian Lite News
The Srinagar Parliamentary constituency is buzzing with political fervour as 39 nominations have been submitted for the upcoming elections on May 13, according to an official announcement made on Thursday.
On the final day for filing nominations, 22 candidates presented their papers to the Returning Officer. Notable among them, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of the Jammu Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) formally submitted his candidacy, with Salman Sagar standing as his covering candidate.
Other contenders include Hakikat Singh from the National Panthers Party-Bhim, Rakesh Handu from J&K National United Front, Amir Ahmad Bhat from Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), and Qaiser Sultan Ganai, who is the covering candidate for DPAP.
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Additionally, a diverse array of candidates from various parties joined the fray, including Ashiq Hussain from Rastriya Jan Kranti Party, Mohammad Yousuf Bhat from Gana Suraksha Party, Suraya Nissar from the National Republic Party of India, and Farooq Ahmad Bhat from the National Youth Party.
Independents also made their presence felt, with individuals like Wahida Tabasum, Qazi Ashraf, Fida Hussain Dar, and others throwing their hats into the ring.
Earlier, on Wednesday, PDP’s Waheed Parra and Apni Party’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir had already submitted their nominations.
With scrutiny of nomination papers set for Friday, candidates have until April 29 to withdraw their names from the race. The constituents will cast their votes on May 13 during the fourth phase of the elections, with the results scheduled to be announced on June 4.
Mega voter awareness program
The Election Commission of India (ECI) organized a mega voter awareness program under SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) at Tulip Garden in Srinagar.
The awareness program aimed to educate citizens about the importance of voting, voter registration processes, and electoral participation.
SVEEP is the flagship program of the ECI for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India. It is a multi-intervention programme that reaches out through different modes and media to educate citizens, electors, and voters about the electoral process to increase their awareness and promote their informed participation.
Polling in Udhampur was held on April 19 (Phase 1), while Jammu, Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar, and Baramulla will poll on April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20.
In 2019, polling for the Lok Sabha was held for six seats in Jammu and Kashmir. However, following the abrogation of Article 370, which resulted in the split of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union Territories–Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, there is no longer a separate Lok Sabha constituency for Ladakh.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP won three seats while the National Conference won the remaining three.
The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
Earlier on Monday, the Election Commission held a meeting with concerned agencies to understand the developing weather situation and constituted a task force to review the impact of heat waves and humidity before each polling phase for any concerning developments and mitigatory measures.
The poll body held a meeting with concerned agencies and also discussed measures to mitigate any risk due to hot weather conditions during the Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting, chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, was attended by the Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Head of Department, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and DG Meteorology, India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The Commission directed MoHFW to issue necessary instructions to health authorities in states to prepare for and extend assistance in case of heatwave conditions affecting election operations. The Commission will hold a separate review with state CEOs to ensure adequate arrangements at polling stations, including shamiyana, drinking water, fans, and other assured minimum facilities, etc., as per its existing advisory dated March 16, 2024. (with inputs from agencies)
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