Unlike past election, the contest between the candidates in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in Srinagar Parliamentary seat seems triangular.
Besides NC and PDP, there is Syed Altaf Bukhari led Apni Party in the electoral fray, which according to political observes will pave way for vote fragmentation in Srinagar.
Dr. Farooq Abdullah led National Conference (NC) and Mehbooba Mufti led PDD are traditional opponents which were used to be the major political parties in the fray. However with the inclusion of Apni Party the contest seems triangular.
As the process of filing of nominations by the contesting candidates for the General Lok Sabha Elections 2024 is going on, at least 10 candidates have filed their nomination papers from 02-Sriangar Parliamentary Constituency in the Office of Returning Officer in Srinagar today.
All major political parties have already announced their candidates for the segment comprising 18 Assembly segment.
Those filed nominations include PDP youth leader Waheed Parra, Apni Party leader Mohammad Ashraf Mir, Mirza Sajad Beigh, Jibran Dar, Shahnaz Hussain Bhat and Shamim Ahmad Parray filed their nomination papers as independent candidates. Similarly Younis Ahmad Mir also submitted his nomination papers before the Returning Officer as a candidate of Bharat Jodo Yatra for the Srinagar constituency.
National Conference senior leader and former MLA Aga Ruhulla will file his nomination papers on Thursday.
The segment would witness a direct contest between National Conference, Apni Party and Peoples Democratic Party.
Before the delimitation exercise, the Srinagar Lok Sabha segment comprised eight seats of Srinagar, five seats of Budgam and two seats of Ganderbal.
Now the parliamentary segment is spread over eight seats of Srinagar, three of Budgam, two of Ganderbal, four of Pulwama and one seat of Srinagar.
The last date for filing of nomination papers in 02-Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency is April 25, 2024 (Thursday) from 11:00 am to 03:00 pm. The Scrutiny of the nomination papers filed by the Candidates will take place on April, 26, 2024 (Friday).
The Candidates have the option to withdraw their candidature by or before April 29, 2024 (Monday) until 03:00 pm. The voting is scheduled in the Constituency for May 13 under fourth phase.
With two candidates had already filed their nominations on April 22, 2024, the number of candidates to contest from the Srinagar Lok Sabha Seat on Wednesday increased to ten.
As per officials Srinagar constituency has over 1.7 million electorates, including 873,426 male, 870,368 female, and approximately 51 transgender voters, will exercise their franchise in the Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency.
The constituency comprises 18 Assembly segments distributed across Ganderbal, Srinagar, Budgam, Pulwama, and Shopian districts.
A total of 2,135 polling stations have been set up across designated locations, with dedicated Model Polling Stations arranged to provide a festive atmosphere for voters. Special facilities, including clean drinking water and ramps for persons with disabilities, have been meticulously arranged to enhance the voting experience. (KNS)
