On Monday, a few men barged into the house of Congress' sarpanch Ghulam Nabi Mir and started firing indiscriminately.
A day before the polling, fear looms large in parts of south Kashmir's Anantnag constituency. Dozens of panchayat members have announced their resignation following the
killing of a Sarpanch, or village head, and his son in Tral area of south Kashmir on Monday night.
Militants and separatist groups have given a call to boycott polling in the state, which has six parliamentary seats. Yesterday, militants also put up posters in the area threatening people to stay away from polls or face bullets.
Last Thursday, a Sarpanch affiliated to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was shot dead by suspected militants in Pulwama district. Panchayat members have become a soft target for militants as seven of them were killed in 2012 and 2013.
In the past, a large number of panchayat members had announced their resignation in the wake of attacks but it was only to ward off pressure and their resignations were never processed by the government.
This time fear and resignation may well impact the polling. Separatists have called for a boycott and strike on polling day in south Kashmir. Police say they have sent additional forces to south Kashmir to prevent any further incidents and ensure peaceful polling.
Over 12 lakh voters are expected to decide the fate of 12 candidates, including National Conference's (NC) Mehboob Beg and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti.