About 16 per cent of the electorate cast their votes for the LS election to the Anantnag constituency on Wednesday. But voters in Bijbehara (hometown of chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba Mufti) and Anantnag (hometown of NC candidate Dr Mahboob Baigh) made a strong statement by boycotting polling. Mehbooba and Baigh are involved in a triangular contest with CPI(M) state secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami.
Of the 5,000 voters in five polling booths in Bijbehara, only 152 cast their votes. The chief minister, his wife and Mehbooba cast theirs at 18-B polling station in the town.
This polling station recorded the largest number of votes (136 out of 1,360). Just one voter (out of 1,146) had turned up in a nearby polling station (22-F) till 3 p.m. At another (25-I-Gorivan), none of the 1,023 voters turned up.
At the poll booths, few people appeared impressed by the "healing touch" and "dialogue" mantra of the Muftis. "Elections are not the answer to our demand for freedom," said Mohammad Siddique, a local resident.
In Anantnag, Baigh's position appeared even more pitiable. The town wore a curfew-like look. Other than the police and security men, not a single resident could be seen near the polling stations.
Even at 2 p.m., the polling staff at 48-D Lal Chowk, with 908 overall voters, were waiting for their first voter. At 47-C Lal Chowk only two of the 680 voters had cast their votes by that time.
{{/usCountry}}Even at 2 p.m., the polling staff at 48-D Lal Chowk, with 908 overall voters, were waiting for their first voter. At 47-C Lal Chowk only two of the 680 voters had cast their votes by that time.
{{/usCountry}}The pattern was similar in Kulgam, CPM stalwart Tarigami's town. In the two main polling stations, 153 votes were polled out of 2,332. In Bugam polling station, only two voters (out of 912) did their bid for democracy.
The impact of the boycott was also visible in Shopian, Pulwama, Pampore, Kakapora, Arwani, Yaripora, Khanabal, Awantipora and Tral towns.
Meanwhile, militants launched grenade attacks on 24 polling stations and fired upon seven across the constituency.
A bank manager was killed and two other civilians were injured in a grenade attack outside a polling booth at the Anantnag Women's College.