Electoral heatwave peaks in Anantnag-Rajouri
Srinagar, May 22: Riding on the massive voter turnout witnessed in the recently held parliamentary polls for Srinagar and Baramulla constituencies in Kashmir, political parties and election authorities have now shifted their focus to the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat. The high-stakes constituency goes to polls on May 25, with 20 candidates locked in a fierce contest to secure the prized parliamentary berth.
With campaigning set to end today, both leading parties have left no stone unturned in their bid to woo voters, making this a poll contest that promises to be an engrossing political spectacle. As the nation’s eyes remain fixated on the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, the stage is set for an electoral showdown that could potentially reshape the political landscape of the region.
Pertinently, the elections for the constituency was deferred earlier in this month after the leaders from different political parties sent a letter to Election Commission of India (ECI), seeking the deferment of polls in wake of the closure of the Mughal Road due to the inclement weather conditions.
As per the figures, a total of 1,830,294 voters including 930,379 males and 899,888 females are set to decide the fate of 20 candidates. There are over 81 thousand first time voters across 18 assembly segments including 7 in Anantnag, 4 in Rajouri, 3 each in Kulgam and Poonch and one in Shopian.
Pulwama was however recently excluded from the parliamentary constituency and included in Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency as the constituencies were reshaped on the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission in 2022.
The focus was completely shifted to Anantnag-Rajouri seat as it is the only constituency left where the elections are yet to be conducted and the prominent candidates are in the race as well.
The twin parliamentary constituencies including Srinagar and Baramulla have surpassed the previous records during the ongoing elections as the people in large numbers came out and cast their ballots to elect their representatives.
Since the voter turnout was high in two constituencies, the candidates as well as the leaders from different parties including Mehbooba Mufti, NC Vice President Omar Abdullah and others have been wooing the voters to turn up at polling booths in large numbers to cast their ballots.
The political pundits as well as the officials believe that the Anantnag-Rajouri seat will also surpass previous records as the electorates will come up in large numbers to cast their votes.
While the campaigning is all set to end tomorrow, the officials stated that the measures taken, especially the activities held under Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Programme, have been playing a key role in creating awareness among the masses with regard to casting their votes.
“We expect a massive voter turnout in the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency as well,” the officials said.
