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Thursday, Nov 13, 2008
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Candidates face public wrath

Shujaat Bukhari

BANDIPORE: This constituency is going to the polls in the first phase on November 17, but the electioneering is yet to pick up and the atmosphere is marred by the poll boycott calls given by the separatists.

In the past, the constituency has witnessed full blown battles but this time the political parties are yet to woo voters in a big way in the wake of public anger. A number of candidates were stoned and chased away by protesters demanding “Azadi.” There are no hoardings, posters, flags or buntings of political parties to attract the voters as one could see in the 2002 Assembly elections.

“The tension is palpable and people do not want to vote” said Tariq Ahmad a local.

Nevertheless 19 candidates are in the fray. The real contest is between the PDP’s Nizamuddin Bhat and counter insurgent turned politician Usman Majid who won the 2002 elections defeating the National Conference’s Ghulam Rasool Mir. NC has fielded the same candidate.

Mohammad Iqbal Jan, a youth from Sonarwani village, is another contestant though being lodged in the Tihar jail on charges of helping militants. His five sisters are campaigning for him and they are the only ones who have not so far faced public wrath. “The people’s sympathy is with them” said their neighbour Ghulam Hassan.

Gousia Bashir (26), of the newly floated Garib Nawaz Party, is also in the fray and she happens to be the first woman candidate in the constituency in the last 55 years. She says she wants to alleviate the people’s sufferings.

The PDP candidate, however, is confident that people will come out and vote. The NC candidate also echoed this view. “People know what is good and bad. You wait till November 17,” he said.

Sonawari and Gurez are two other constituencies in Bandipore district going to the polls on November 17. There are 22 and 5 candidates in the fray respectively in these two seats.

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