The Congress is fighting the elections in a pre-poll alliance with National Conference and has fielded 32 candidates, mostly in Jammu region, compared to 51 by the regional party. Additionally, the CPI(M) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) have each been allocated one seat while both the Congress and NC had a 'friendly contest' on five seats.
Every trick in the trade is being tried unabashedly.
In simple arithmetical terms every possible 'arrangement' is being made to deny a majority to its rivals. A split verdict would hand a vital advantage to the BJP which is adept at extracting the best out of such a situation, notes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
The Congress was fighting the elections in a pre-poll alliance with National Conference and had fielded 32 candidates, mostly in Jammu region, compared to 51 by the regional party.
The nomination papers of 35 candidates including that of jailed separatist Sarjan Barkati were on Wednesday rejected during scrutiny for the first phase of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, leaving 244 contestants in the fray.
A turnout of about 59 percent -- the highest in the past seven elections -- was recorded in the first phase of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, Chief Electoral Officer P K Pole said, adding polling passed off peacefully.
Political parties and leaders wait with bated breath for the Haryana and Jammu-Kashmir assembly poll results on Tuesday.
"The identity of the terrorists are yet to be ascertained. While no collateral damage has been registered," police added.
Five persons including two top militant commanders and an army soldier were killed in a 24-hour-long encounter in Dooru village near the north Kashmir apple-rich Sopore town in Baramulla district.
Militants attacked a house, the premises of which housed a telecom tower in north Kashmir Sopore town on Tuesday evening, killing the house owner.
Police fired warning shots and lobbed teargas shells to disperse stone-pelting protestors during two-hour curfew relaxation in old Anantnag town on Saturday morning even as authorities imposed curfew in two more areas of Trehgam and Kupwara towns after agitation by locals.
"Militants in combat uniform barged into the guard room of TV tower at Dalvash in Dooru area of Anantnag district around 12.30 am and overpowered the cops guarding the installation," the police official said.
Polling in the 16 assembly constituencies, including 10 in south Kashmir Anantnag and Kulgam districts and two each in Kishtwar, Ramban and Doda districts began this morning under heavy security.
This is the biggest people-to-people initiative after 15 years and a move towards return of the Pandits to the valley.
The Resistance Front (TRF), which is believed to be a shadow group of LeT, claimed responsibility for the killings. IGP (Kashmir) Kumar said police have seized a vehicle used in the attack and that such killings were being executed at the behest of Pakistan.
Two AK-47 rifles, seven magazines, 134 rounds of bullet, one radio set, one GPS device and a large quantity of war-like store were recovered from the possession of the slain terrorists
The authorities had on Tuesday lifted curfew across Kashmir except from six police station areas of the city.
From Kutch to Itanagar, Kashmir to Kanyakumari, there is only one emotion, it seems. Fear. Of coronavirus.
Mir's son, Zahoor Ahmed Mir, said his father's security was withdrawn two months ago and all efforts to get it back had fallen on deaf ears.
'And the old war horse has left nothing to chance. He campaigned vigorously in the by-election defying his age,' says Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir.
In the stone-pelting, SSP Doda, one SHO, one sub-inspector and two other police personnel were injured.
Two people have been killed as protesters on Saturday attacked police posts and security personnel in several areas and targeted BJP office in Kulgam as violence broke out in Kashmir Valley, a day after Burhan Wani, a poster boy of terror outfit Hizbul Mujhaideen, was killed in an encounter.
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