Srinagar city voters bends to separatists' theat, rural areas defy it

Srinagar:  During his Friday afternoon sermon inside the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference and chief cleric of Kashmir,  Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, urged  people to stay away from the polls. Farooq claimed that the Kashmir issue couldn’t be resolved through elections and it was a non-issue. But today as the polling started in the Nowhatta locality of the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, just 500 metres from the Jamia Masjid, voters defied the call to cast their ballots. Although the number of people visiting polling stations to cast their franchise was abysmal in the old city, it was a political statement of sorts that even around 1,000 votes were cast in an area that is a considered a bastion of the separatist movement.       [caption id=“attachment_1503369” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Voting was brisk in the rural areas of Srinagar. PTI[/caption] Imtiyaz Ahamd, a 28-year-old  a graduate in Economics from the nearby Kashmir University, was among the 15 voters who voted in Rainawari till this afternoon. There were 570 registered voters at the polling booth. The elections have nothing to do with the aspirations of people and I would like to see the development taking front seat in the Old City of Srinagar, he said. “I think we should vote, chose a person who will deliver. By not voting we always favour a particular party, and they get their supporters to vote and win the elections,” Ahmad told Firstpost. The old city area of Srinagar witnessed a poor turnout – 84 votes were polled in the Zadibal area, out of nearly 5000 registered voters – the call for a boycott of the polls seemed to have worked. The fear of venturing out on the streets was visible as the interiors of city wore a deserted look. There were also clashes in the Jamia Masjid locality between security forces and protesters, which only vitiated the polling atmosphere further. Security forces had to use batons and tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. There were also incidents of stone pelting and clashes reported from the Zanekout area on the outskirts of Srinagar city. Protests also took place in the main square of Kangan in central Kashmir. However, in rural areas of the Srinagar constituency, like Budgam district , polling was brisk as people stood in long lines in defiance of the call for a boycott. Hundreds of men and women stood outside polling booths in long queues in Nowgam, Chadoora, Watoora, and Charar-e-Sharief to cast their votes. “We want roads, electricity, schools and employment, we should chose a person who will make sure we get these facilities. Who will work for us and deliver on ground,” Nazir Ahamd, a  31-year-old voter in Budgam, told Firstpost. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his father, sitting MP Farooq Abdullah, cast their votes in the Ram Munshi Bagh polling booth. Abdullah is seeking re-election for the sixth time from Srinagar. With 1.2 million voters spread over 15 assembly constituencies, the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency is the most prestigious among the six parliamentary constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir. By 1:00 pm the Srinagar city area witnessed the least turnout with 7.64 percent, while Ganderbal saw 31.48 percent, and Budgam saw a turnout of 25.72 percent. The turnout was perhaps a sign of the divide that exists in Kashmir’s rural and urban areas. While the politically conscious city chose to favour a boycott, the rural areas of this parliamentary seat chose not to. The Election Commission had given fresh instructions to district authorities to ensure sufficient security for polling stations. Just 55 polling stations in this seat have been declared normal while all others have been categorized as hyper-sensitive or sensitive.