J038;K polls in seven phases over a month, CEC says 145;risk146; involved

As per the schedule, voting for the 87-member House will take place on November 17, 23, 30 and December 7, 13, 17 and 24. Regions expected to experience inclement weather conditions during winter are covered in the first two phases. Srinagar and Jammu will go to polls on December 24.

The election panel originally wanted no more than four phases 8212; as in 2002 8212; to complete the crucial exercise, but the Union Home Ministry, when asked for requisite companies of paramilitary forces for the state election, reportedly cited 8220;almost simultaneous elections in five other states8221;. Asked whether this indeed posed a problem for the Centre, Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta told The Indian Express: 8220;Whatever forces are required for elections in Jammu and Kashmir shall be provided.8221;

As against the usual three weeks between the announcement of election dates and the issue of gazette notification the notification for the first phase of elections is on October 24, the EC and political parties in Jammu and Kashmir will now get just about five days to set the election process in motion.

Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi agreed 8220;it was a difficult decision for the panel in view of the political, social and other dimensions, like logistics, and simultaneous Assembly elections happening in five other states.8221;

Asked on the initial divide in the Commission over the election dates in the state, Election Commissioner Navin B Chawla said: 8220;Different state elections have different complexities. The dynamics of this decision are no more or no less complex than any other state election.8221;

The Congress and BJP welcomed the EC announcement. National Conference president Omar Abdullah said his party was geared to join the poll process. 8220;We are glad that the suspense is over,8221; he said. 8220;Our job was not to decide the poll schedule. We gave our assessment of the situation to the EC and it was their decision. We will conduct our poll preparatory meetings within the next few days8221;. Asked how the NC felt about the situation, Abdullah said: 8220;We have to live with it now. We cannot say no to elections.8221;

Communist leader and former legislator M Y Tarigami said his party had been hoping that the Centre would take a few confidence building measures CBMs before announcing the elections. 8220;We had met the Prime Minister and also the Election Commission, pleading for some CBMs before polls. Now that elections have been announced, it is a challenge for both politicians and Election Commission to ensure that people participate in the poll process.8221;

The Peoples Democratic Party, the loudest advocate for delaying the poll process, remained silent. Though senior leaders of the party said that they cannot afford to stay away from the elections, they are still weighing an official party response.

Separatists across the dove-hawk divide are adamant on a poll boycott, emboldened by recent groundswell of support and the peaceful nature of public protests. 8220;To vote or not to vote is the fundamental right of people in a democratic society. We have reached the conclusion that there is no scope, logic or reason to be part of the electoral process and we will engage in a full-fledged boycott campaign,8221; said JKLF chief Yasin Malik.

8220;Three generation of Kashmiris have been consumed by this dispute and unless it is resolved, we do not think our children have any safety, security or future. Former Prime minister Vajpayee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave public commitment that this issue will be resolved through dialogue and we supported their call. It is unfortunate that the institution of dialogue has failed until now. These elections are in no way going to help resolve the issue. We first want a resolution, then elections.8221;

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who leads the Hurriyat moderates, said that election was never an issue with them. 8220;They elections make no sense in the absence of the settlement of the larger Kashmir conflict. Such elections have never made a difference,8221; he said, adding that the Hurriyat will urge people not to vote. He did not, however, say whether they too will organise a boycott campaign.

Hardliner separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani said that the people of Kashmir would stay away from the elections. 8220;We want no elections in Kashmir. These are meant to ride roughshod over the real democratic aspirations of the people of Kashmir,8221; he, urging the mainstream political parties not to participate in the poll process. 8220;Such a step would restore their mainstream parties credibility among people,8221; he said.

Aware of the ground situation, the Election Commission too has put serious thought into the poll schedule after the decision to go ahead with the elections was taken despite serious reservations by several major political parties in Kashmir.

The first phase of the polls is on November 17 when 10 assembly constituencies will go to polls. Gurez, Bandipore and Sonwari constituency of north Kashmir will join Nubra, Leh, Kargil and Zanskar of Ladakh and Surankote, Mendhar and Poonch Haveli. The three constituencies of Kashmir have been chosen carefully because of their traditional high voter turnout, especially the frontier Gurez which has remained insulated from the recent happenings in the Valley. The voter turnout in the seven constituencies from Ladakh and Jammu province is expected to boost the overall percentage.

The next round is on November 23 and again EC has clubbed two Kashmir constituencies with four from Jammu province to ensure that a boycott in the Valley doesn8217;t figure in the overall voter turnout that day. The third round November 30 will be held exclusively in five constituencies of Kupwara and Handwara districts of north Kashmir where the voter turnout has been substantial in the previous Assembly elections.

On December 7, 18 constituencies from Kashmir Valley and Jammu province will vote together. Eleven constituencies from Kashmir Valley and Jammu province will go to polls on December 13, again with the aim to ensure a respectable turnout, while 16 constituencies of Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts in Jammu will join Anantnag and Kulgam districts of the Valley for polls on December 17. The election will conclude with polling in 21 constituencies of Srinagar district, Jammu city, Akhnoor and Samba districts on December 24.