Srinagar:As Jammu and Kashmir gears up for the first phase of the 2024 Assembly elections on September 18, the stage is set for a series of high-stakes contests that could shape the political landscape of the region. This phase will feature a mix of notable candidates, including PDP's Iltija Mufti, who faces strong competition from BJP's Sofi Yousuf and National Conference's Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri. Additionally, three constituencies will witness friendly battles between the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC).
Pampore is set to be a fiercely contested constituency. Zahoor Ahmad Mir of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) will face Hasnain Masoodi of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC). With a total of 14 candidates in the fray, Pampore stands out as a highly competitive seat.
In Tral, the race is a three-way battle. Surinder Singh of the Indian National Congress (INC) will go up against Harbaksh Singh Sassan, an independent candidate supported by Abdul Rashid Sheikh, also known as Engineer Rashid. Additionally, Rafiq Ahmad Naik of PDP will also vie for the seat. A total of nine candidates are contesting in Tral.
Pulwama will see Mohammad Khalil Band of JKNC competing against Waheed ur Rehman Parra of PDP and Talat Majid Alie, an independent supported by the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). This constituency has 12 candidates vying for victory. In Rajpora, Syed Bashir Ahmad of PDP will challenge Ghulam Mohi Uddin Mir of JKNC. Both parties are strongly contesting for this critical seat, with a total of 10 candidates in the race.
Zainapora will see Ghulam Mohi Uddin Wani of PDP challenging Showkat Hussain Ganie of JKNC. There are 10 candidates competing for the seat in Zainapora. The constituency of Shopian features Sheikh Mohammad Rafi of JKNC facing off against Shabir Ahmad Kullay, an independent candidate. Shopian has 11 candidates contesting this phase.
In DH Pora, Abdul Majeed Padder of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) will compete against Sakeena Masood Ittoo of JKNC. A total of six candidates are in the running for this constituency. Kulgam presents a notable race with Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), Nazir Ahmad Laway of JKPC, and Sayar Ahmad Reshi, an independent backed by banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), all vying for the seat. Kulgam has 10 candidates contesting.
In Devsar, Mohammad Sartaj Madni of PDP will face Peerzada Feroze Ahmad of JKNC. There are nine candidates in total for Devsar. Dooru will see a direct contest between Mohammad Ashraf Malik of PDP and Ghulam Ahmad Mir of INC. This seat is particularly notable for the head-to-head competition between PDP and INC. Dooru has 10 candidates.
Kokernag (ST) will feature Zafar Ali Khatana of JKNC battling Haroon Rashid Khatana of PDP, with a total of 10 candidates contesting in this reserved constituency. Anantnag (West) will have Abdul Majeed Bhat of JKNC competing against Abdul Gaffar Sofi of PDP. There are nine candidates in this constituency. Anantnag itself will see Peerzada Mohammad Syed of INC facing off against Mehboob Beg of PDP. This constituency has a total of 13 candidates.
In Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Iltija Mufti of PDP, making her debut in the elections, will contend with Sofi Yousif of BJP and Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri of JKNC. This seat stands out with just three candidates. Shangus - Anantnag (East) features Reyaz Ahmad Khan of JKNC facing Abdul Rehman Bhat of PDP. There are 13 candidates in this constituency.
Pahalgam will see Rafi Ahmad Mir of JKAP competing against Altaf Ahmad Wani of JKNC. A total of six candidates are running in Pahalgam. In Inderwal, Mohd Zafarullah of INC will face Ghulam Mohd Saroori, an independent and Taraq Hussain Keen of BJP. This constituency has nine candidates. Kishtwar will witness Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo of JKNC competing with Firdous Ahmed Tak of PDP and Shagun Parihar of BJP. There are seven candidates in Kishtwar.
Padder-Nagseni features Pooja Thakur of JKNC challenging Sunil Kumar Sharma of BJP and Sandesh Kumar of PDP. This constituency has six candidates. In Bhaderwah, Sheikh Mehboob Iqbal of JKNC will face Nadeem Sharief of INC and Daleep Singh of BJP. This seat is notable for the friendly contest between Congress and the National Conference, with 10 candidates running.
Doda will see Khalid Najib Suharwardy of JKNC competing with Riaz Ahmed of INC and Gajay Singh of BJP. This contest will be closely watched for the friendly rivalry between Congress and the National Conference, with nine candidates in total. Doda (West) features Pardeep Kumar of INC facing Shakti Raj Parihar of BJP. There are eight candidates in Doda (West).
Ramban will see Arjun Singh Raju of JKNC battling Rakesh Singh Thakur of BJP. This constituency has eight candidates and will be an important indicator of party performance. Finally, in Banihal, Vikar Rasool Wani of INC will compete with Sajjad Shaheen of JKNC. This is the third seat in this phase where the friendly rivalry between Congress and the National Conference is evident, with seven candidates.
According to the Election Commission, the first phase of the 2024 Assembly elections will see over 23.27 lakh voters casting their ballots, including 5.66 lakh young voters and 1.23 lakh first-time voters. The ECI has established 3,276 polling stations across the 24 constituencies to facilitate the voting process. Special polling stations, including women-only Pink stations, PwD-manned stations, and youth-manned stations, have been introduced to enhance voter participation.
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