Srinagar, Sep 30: With the third phase of Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections set to be held on Tuesday, a tight contest is expected in Langate assembly segment, which was once the stronghold of the National Conference.
At least 15 candidates are in the electoral fray including the brother of jailed parliamentarian, Engineer Abdul Rasheed Sheikh, who recently resigned from the government job and decided to join the mainstream politics and simultaneously filed his papers for the contest.
However, the voters in the constituency have sided with Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) chief, Er Rashid for the two straight elections in 2008 and 2014 respectively, who later became the Member of Parliament for Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency while remaining behind the bars for the last five years.
Irshad is associated with Indian National Congress while NC has not fielded its candidate from the segment.
Since 1977, Langate constituency has from time to time remained the bastion of National Conference as the party has emerged victorious at least five times out of eight elections and by-elections till 2014.
For the four straight elections from 1977 to 1996, the voters across the constituency have sided with NC but in 1999 By Polls, a candidate from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mohammad Sultan Ganai (Panditpuri) defeated the NC candidate.
However, the voters in 2002 elections once again preferred NC candidate Sharif-ud-din Shariq.
The situation however, has turned since 2008 as the people have favoured and supported Er Rasheed, who won the polls twice consecutively.
As Rasheed is not in the fray, the electoral battle is expected to be interesting with political pundits expecting a triangular contest between Er Rasheed’s brother, Peoples Conference (PC) candidate Irfan Panditpuri and NC-Congress’s joint candidate.
The assembly constituency will not be a cakewalk as the contest is tough between the candidates, they said, adding that the segment has thrown a challenge for all the major parties and candidates this time.
