The elections to the redrawn Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, which was slated to go to polls on May 7 (third phase), has been deferred to May 25 (sixth phase) by the Election Commission after several political parties of the Union Territory requested to shift the date due to logistic and connectivity issues in the region.
Several leaders including Jammu and Kashmir BJP unit chief Ravinder Raina, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari, People's Conference leader Imran Ansari and others had approached the Election Commission requesting for rescheduling of polls to the seat due to adverse weather conditions.
"Various representations have been received from different political parties of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir for shifting the date of poll of election from 3-Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary Constituency due to various logistic, communication and natural barrier of of connectivity turning out as hindrance in campaigning which in turn tantamount to lack of fair opportunities for the contesting candidates which may affect the poll process," the poll body said.
The commission said that after considering a report from the administration and analysing the ground situation in the constituency, it decided to revise the date of the poll under Section 56 of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
All other statutory processes including "nomination, scrutiny and withdrawal are already over with 20 contesting candidates. Except poll date, no changes in any part of the schedule," sources in the Election Commission said.
The Lok Sabha election is the first major poll since the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019 which bifurcated the state into two union territories.
Former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah (National Conference) and Mehbooba Mufti (PDP) had urged the Election Commission last week not to postpone the polls.Interestingly, BJP and People's Conference who had demanded deferment of polls are not contesting in Anantnag-Rajouri. Now, the BJP is likely to back the Apni Party candidate.
Political parties are struggling with the new electoral map of the Anantnag constituency as the delimitation has drastically redrawn electoral boundaries.
Now, mountains divide one part of the Anantnag constituency from the others in Rajouri and Poonch. In between is Shopian district which has been made part of the Srinagar seat - leading to a geographical disconnect.
This has thrown some serious challenges at the parties who need to campaign in two disconnected regions.
The polls will decide the fate of 20 candidates, including Mehbooba Mufti who is facing a challenge from National Conference leader Mian Altaf.
Voting in Udhampur was held on April 19, in Jammu on April 26, in Srinagar, it will be on May 13, in Baramulla on May 20 and Anantnag-Rajouri on May 25.
