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J&K DDC polls: High-stake battle in Uri’s Parenpilla seat
As part of the fifth round of DDC elections, 66.63 percent voting was recorded for this seat on Thursday.
In the fifth phase of DDC polls, a seat in north Kashmir’s Uri has become a prestige point for the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) and Congress.
Parenpilla, now a coveted seat, went for polls along with the 37 others in J&K on Thursday. Winning this seat is crucial for both National Conference (NC), an alliance partner with PAGD), and Congress. Workers of both the parties made a beeline outside polling stations to cast their votes. At the end of the day, 66.63 percent voting was recorded for this seat.
At Garkote, a polling station set up inside a government school, half of the registered voters had exercised their franchise by 1pm. “We have always voted for NC as the party has done a lot for us. Today, we voted in favour of the PAGD candidate from People’s Conference. Only about half of our family voted though. Had it been an NC candidate, all of us would have voted,” said a local businessman.
Garkote village is located on the LoC and has been a victim of shelling from Pakistan. At three polling stations in the village, over 3,000 voters are registered and most of them came out to vote.
In Machigund, the villagers had been voting since morning. “We have always voted in elections. We hope our the new DDC member, once elected, will construct underground bunkers which were destroyed in 2005 earthquake,” said a village elder.
Two-time former minister and senior Congress leader Taj Mohiudin also contested from Parenpilla DDC seat of Uri in Baramulla. Mohiudin was once pitched to be the chief ministerial candidate during PDP-Congress coalition government in J&K. He is facing a tough contest from the PAGD candidate of Sajjad Lone’s Peoples’ Conference.
On Tuesday night, police had stopped and questioned a close relative of Mohiudin, near LoC, following allegations that he was distributing money among the voters at Kamalkote.
Sajjad Lone accused the administration of trying to hush up a case of money distribution.
“Attempts to hush up a case involving distribution of money in Parenpilla, URI, DDC constituency. The constituency goes to polls tomorrow. The L-G has a moral duty to ascertain who all r(are) behind attempts to hush up the case,” Sajjad Lone tweeted late on Tuesday night.
Police, however, denied the allegations.
“If Taj Mohiudin loses this election, his political career will be over. He chose to contest from this seat as it’s a reserved seat and major chunk of voters belong to the Gujjar community which could tilt the balance in favour of the former minister,” said a local resident of Uri.
