[Reader-list] "Voters in Kashmir defy winter chill, separatists" (Kashmir Polls - first reports)

[taraprakash]

I have a couple questions if someone can answer.
What percentage of J&K people live in Sonawari to consider that the polling 
in the state has been abysmal?

Secondly, if PDP was that sure that it is not a good time to hold elections 
and that people won't turn out for voting, why did the party contest the 
elections?


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Shivam V" <lists at shivamvij.com>
To: <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com>
Cc: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 8:51 AM
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] "Voters in Kashmir defy winter chill,separatists" 
(Kashmir Polls - first reports)


> The voter turnout numbers in these reports are abysmal, and yet the
> headline creates a false impression that the polling was successful.
> If in Sonawari only 12% turned out to vote, that means 88% did not
> vote.
>
> Anyway, here's somehing interesting:
>
>
>
> Dawn, 15 November 2008
>
> A MARRIAGE IS ARRANGED
>
> by A.G. Noorani
>
> THE annals of rigged elections in Kashmir provide no precedent for the
> polls that will begin there on Nov 17. Even the Unionist parties, the
> National Conference and the People's Democratic Party, are opposed to
> them.
>
> The Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami admitted on Oct 10 that
> "we have taken a risk", adding, "If the political parties are not
> ready, then how can we conduct elections now?"
>
> The right to advocate a boycott of elections is as integral a part of
> the democratic process as is the right to vote. He conceded that the
> political parties "can call a boycott" provided they did not use
> force. This right has been systematically denied by New Delhi through
> the arrests of leaders like Shabbir Shah, house arrests of Syed Ali
> Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and curfews and arrests of
> activists to prevent peaceful rallies and processions.
>
> The president of the PDP, Mehbooba Mufti, said on Nov 10: "The polls
> have been thrust on the people and the PDP." In the valley, which has
> 46 of the 87 seats, public opinion is inflamed after the upheaval
> there and in Jammu in August. "Public meetings cannot be held in the
> manner they used to. The people are not coming out."
>
> The NC's president, Omar Abdullah, said: "The timing is not ideal for
> elections. We had said this to the Election Commission and in our
> statements". Why then did the EC go ahead and why did the NC decide to
> participate in the polls?
>
> The EC obeyed the wishes of elements in the Government of India who
> felt that a change was necessary. In 2002 the NC was ditched in favour
> of the PDP. In 2008 the roles are reversed. Farooq Abdullah, the NC's
> patron, did not contest the polls then. He will do so now. But he
> revealed, on Oct 28, that "Omar will finally take over charge." The
> confidence that he will, indeed, become chief minister is a giveaway.
>
> The game plan was revealed on July 9 by A.S. Dulat, a former RAW chief
> and for long an adviser on Kashmir affairs. "If I have to bet on
> anybody as the next chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, then I will
> bet on Omar Abdullah, because only the mainstream parties are going to
> fight the elections and the National Conference has an edge."
>
> No wonder the PDP's president Mehbooba Mufti said on Oct 28 "an
> impression is being created that New Delhi has decided to select the
> National Conference for governance". She added: "We won't give a free
> hand to the parties claiming victory in advance".
>
> The manifestos of the two parties on the state's governance are
> revealing. Unprecedentedly Farooq Abdullah has asserted emphatically
> that the polls concern issues of governance alone. The solution to the
> Kashmir dispute lies in the dialogue between India and Pakistan, he
> said, while releasing the NC's 'Vision document' on Oct 31.
>
> The PDP published two documents on Oct 28. An 'Election manifesto —
> 2008 make 'self-rule' happen' and 'Jammu & Kashmir: the self-rule
> framework for resolution'. The two overlap. The NC had spelled out its
> views in detail in 1999 in the 'Report of the state autonomy
> committee'. As Kashmiri contributions to the debate, the rival
> documents on autonomy merit analysis later. We are here concerned with
> their views on governance.
>
> The most striking thing about them is their studied restraint on some
> issues that vex the people, e.g. discrimination in the services. "No
> commissioner or secretary in the state government is a Muslim," The
> Hindustan Times reported on Aug 17. "There have been only two Muslim
> DGPs — ever." Most top police posts are with non-Muslims. Most senior
> civil servants and police officers are Hindu. Here is an issue on
> which the PDP and the NC could have gone to town legitimately without
> compromising their stand on Kashmir's accession to India. But neither
> risks annoying New Delhi. The same holds good for torture, release of
> detainees, withdrawal of the army from prized lands, including
> orchards, etc.
>
> Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah consistently wrecked the centre's moves
> for a rapprochement with the Hurriyat made by three successive prime
> ministers as Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed supported them. The
> PDP seeks to balance support to the Union with espousal of some
> Kashmiri causes.
>
> The NC's vision document makes promises on panchayati raj,
> rehabilitation of militancy affected people, planning, unemployment,
> power, tourism, agriculture, horticulture, women empowerment, and
> 'balanced development'. Its emphasis is on 'good governance'. Much the
> same ground is covered in the PDP's manifesto. Its emphasis is on its
> 'governance and development agenda'; but in the context of
> 'self-rule'.
>
> Elections are little affected by words alone. Perceptions are
> decisive. On May 2, 2003 the state's former deputy chief minister,
> Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, belonging to the PDP, revealed that he had
> told the centre's interlocutor N.N. Vohra that "the Government of
> India has always been purchasing the leaders of the State. That can be
> done even today." A former governor B.K. Nehru noted in his memoirs
> Nice Guys Finish Second that the CMs "had been nominees of Delhi" who
> won power "by the holding of farcical and totally rigged elections".
>
> Today N.N. Vohra is governor. For the Abdullahs it is now or never.
> Defeat spells oblivion. Yet, victory will earn added disrepute. New
> Delhi will have to talk the Hurriyat and to Pakistan. The impact on
> the peace process of this farce can well be imagined.
>
> The writer is a lawyer and an author.
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 6:09 PM, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com> 
> wrote:
>> FROM IANS: >>>>>>>
>>
>> "Voters in Kashmir defy winter chill, separatists"
>> http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20081117/818/tnl-voters-in-kashmir-defy-winter-chill.html
>>
>> Mon, Nov 17 03:20 PM
>>
>> Srinagar/Jammu, Nov 17 (IANS) Voters braved the winter chill and ignored 
>> a boycott call by separatist leaders to vote in large numbers for the 
>> first phase of the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir Monday.
>>
>> Polling started at 8 a.m. amid tight security in 10 constituencies spread 
>> over the Muslim-dominated Kashmir Valley, the Hindu-majority Jammu region 
>> and the mainly Buddhist Ladakh. The voting for the 87 constituencies is 
>> being held in seven phases, starting Monday.
>>
>> Barring a small clash between a group of people protesting against the 
>> elections in Bandipora town and the police and a scuffle between workers 
>> of National Conference and People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the 
>> neighbouring Sonawari constituency, balloting was progressing smoothly.
>>
>> Notwithstanding the freezing cold and the fear of the separatists, the 
>> trickle of voters at polling stations across the 10 constituencies in the 
>> Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir Valley regions continued. The crowds were 
>> increasing as the day progressed.
>>
>> The statistics too spoke of the voter enthusiasm.
>>
>> Till noon, in Jammu region, Surankot reported a turnout of 35 percent, 
>> Poonch Haveli 29 and Mendhar 22, while the figures for the four seats in 
>> Ladakh region are, Kargil 26, Zanskar 18, Nobra 17.7 and Leh 12.2.
>>
>> Gurez in the Kashmir Valley topped with 21 percent followed by Bandipora 
>> 16 and Sonawari 12. This is significant given the boycott call of the 
>> separatists and the fear of violence in the region.
>>
>> Officials said the percentage in the Valley might appear low but they 
>> hoped it will improve with better weather.
>>
>> People clad in woollens and holding kangris (traditional wooden or 
>> earthen firepots) were seen queueing up outside polling stations in 
>> Bandipora and Sonawari in the Valley right since the morning.
>>
>> Separatist leaders, many of them jailed during the run-up to the vote, 
>> had asked people in the Kashmir Valley to boycott the polls.
>>
>> Hurriyat Conference, the main separatist group, had even called for a 
>> march in Bandipora and Sonawari against the elections.
>>
>> But adequate security at all polling stations ensured there was no such 
>> move by the Hurriyat till noon. Dotting every road in the Kashmir valley 
>> are armed paramilitary troopers and policemen. All entry points to these 
>> two constituencies were under check.
>>
>> There was only one incident involving those opposing the elections in 
>> Kashmir. 'In Bandipora town, a small group of protesters came out in the 
>> town to dissuade voters from exercising their franchise,' the district's 
>> superintendent of police, Sheikh Junaid, told IANS. They were chased away 
>> following a clash.
>>
>> Another incident was a clash between workers of the National Conference 
>> (NC) and People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Sonawari constituency over 
>> allegations of booth capturing.
>>
>> A scuffle broke out between them at the Poshpura polling station in 
>> Naidkhai area when PDP workers accused their NC counterparts of booth 
>> capturing.
>>
>> The state is currently under governor's rule. In the past, militants have 
>> attacked and killed many candidates and political workers during 
>> elections, vandalised polling stations and attacked rallies to thwart 
>> elections.
>>
>> In Nobra, Leh, Kargil and Zanskar constituencies of the Ladakh region - 
>> where temperatures have dipped below zero degrees Celsius - people lined 
>> up in large numbers since morning outside polling stations.
>>
>> There was a lot of enthusiasm among voters in Mendhar, Surankote and 
>> Poonch-Haveli constituencies of Poonch district in the Jammu region.
>>
>> Deputy Commissioner of Poonch Mohammad Afzal Bhat said there were 373 
>> polling stations in the district of which 120 were hyper-sensitive and 
>> 150 sensitive from the security point of view.
>>
>> 'We are expecting at least 70 percent turnout as the weather is also 
>> bright and sunny here,' Bhat said.
>>
>> Though the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border, was quiet after 
>> the 2003 truce between India and Pakistan, Bhat said that 'keeping in 
>> mind the incidents of ceasefire violations by Pakistan, we have 
>> contingency plans for 30 polling stations close to the LoC to be 
>> relocated in case of any eventuality'.
>>
>> Reports from Gurez constituency said a sizeable number of voters had 
>> lined up at Dawar, the sub-divisional headquarters that is in the 
>> constituency.
>>
>> Vying for power in the state are the Congress, Peoples Democratic Party 
>> (PDP), National Conference and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Also in the 
>> fray are the Panthers Party as well as a slew of independents.
>>
>> The Congress and PDP had together ruled the state since 2002 but the 
>> government of Congress chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad collapsed after 
>> the PDP withdrew support this year.
>>
>> The 10 constituencies that went to the polls Monday have 1,064 polling 
>> stations. There are 58,073 voters in Kargil, 62,533 in Leh, 20,044 in 
>> Zanskar, 11,863 in Nobra, 84,726 in Sonawari, 86,306 in Bandipora, 15,330 
>> in Gurez, 84,969 in Surankote, 77,853 in Mendhar and 96,758 in 
>> Poonch-Haveli.
>>
>> The remaining six phases of the elections will be held Nov 23, Nov 30, 
>> Dec 7, Dec 13, Dec 17 and Dec 24. The counting of votes will take place 
>> Dec 28.
>>
>>
>> FROM PTI:>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>
>> Mon, Nov 17 02:50 PM
>> "Low to medium turnout in first phase of J-K polls"
>> http://in.news.yahoo.com/20/20081117/1416/tnl-low-to-medium-turnout-in-first-phase.html
>>
>> Jammu/Srinagar, Nov 17 (PTI) Low to medium turnout was witnessed till 
>> after midday today in the 10 assembly constituencies in the first stage 
>> of the seven-phase elections in Jammu and Kashmir with voters coming out 
>> in lesser numbers in the three seats of cold wave-struck Valley amid 
>> tight security and a boycott call by separatists. In the first five hours 
>> of polling which began at 8 AM, no violence was reported as 22.4 per cent 
>> of the six lakh strong electorate cast their ballots, officials said.
>>
>> Despite sub zero temperature in Kargil and Zanskar segments, 
>> unprecedented enthusiasm among voters was seen in the two hilly 
>> constituencies. In Kargil segment, an estimated 26 per cent voters out of 
>> total electorate of 58,488 had exercised their right to franchise.
>>
>> In Zanskar constituency, 20 per cent of 20,348 electorate had cast their 
>> votes, the officials said. Zanskar recorded a minimum temperature of 
>> minus 11 degrees Celsius while it was minus four degrees in Kargil.
>>
>> Women dressed in traditional colourful attire outnumbered their male 
>> counterparts at many polling stations in the two constituencies. 
>> Surankote in Poonch district recorded the highest 35 per cent polling 
>> till midday followed by 26 per cent in Kargil and 25.50 per cent in 
>> Nobra, they said.
>>
>> In the once terrorist-infested Bandipora district, 25 per cent polling 
>> was witnessed in Gurez while Bandipora and Sonawari recorded 12 per cent 
>> and 14 per cent respectively. A curfew-like situation prevailed in 
>> Kashmir as authorities deployed thousands of security personnel in 
>> Srinagar and other major towns in view of a call for 'Jehan election waha 
>> challo' (march to where elections are) -- given by separatist 
>> co-ordination committee.
>>
>> Officials also attributed severe cold which has gripped the valley 
>> following heavy snowfall on Friday as the reason for dull polling there. 
>> PTI.
>>
>> FROM 'GREATER KASHMIR': >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>
>> ITEM 1
>> "23% polling recorded till noon"
>> http://www.greaterkashmir.com/latest_Story.asp?Date=17_11_2008&ItemID=10
>>
>> GK NEWS NETWORK
>>
>> Srinagar, Nov 17: An estimated 23 per cent polling was recorded in ten 
>> assembly segments in Jammu and Kashmir during the first four hours, a 
>> official spokesman said.
>> He said, Surankote recorded the highest of 35 percent followed by Kargil 
>> 26, Nobra 25.50, Gurez 25, Leh 22.45, Zanaskar 20, Poonch and Mendhar 22, 
>> Sonawari 14 and Bandipora 12 per cent.
>>
>> ITEM 2
>> "Polling picking up in Ladakh, Poonch"
>> http://www.greaterkashmir.com/latest_Story.asp?Date=17_11_2008&ItemID=5
>>
>> GK NEWS NETWORK
>>
>> Updated at 1240 hours IST
>>
>> Srinagar: Polling was picking up in four assembly segments of Ladakh 
>> region despite chilly weather conditions, officials said.
>>
>> They said despite minus 8 degree temperature, people came out in large 
>> numbers to cast their votes. "Long queues could be seen outside the 
>> polling booths even before the start of the polling. At some booths, 
>> women had outnumbered men," officials said.
>>
>> They said in three assembly segments of Poonch voters could be seen 
>> waiting for their turn near the polling stations.
>>
>> ITEM 3
>> "Polling dull in Bandipora, picking up in adjoining villages"
>> http://www.greaterkashmir.com/latest_Story.asp?Date=17_11_2008&ItemID=4
>>
>> GK NEWS NETWORK
>>
>> Updated at 1220 hours IST
>>
>> Bandipora, Nov 17: Bandipora town and other adjoining areas in north 
>> Kashmir went to polls amidst unprecedented security arrangements on 
>> Monday.
>>
>> Not many people had turned out to vote in the main town till afternoon, 
>> butin the nearby villages people were coming out to exercise their 
>> franchise. "Boycott is not complete. Polling percentage would cross fifty 
>> percent if people continue to come out," said an official.
>>
>>
>> /*YAHOO.EU.Messenger = new Messenger();
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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