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Electioneering picks up in Jammu

Campaigning in the Jammu constituency is hotting up it enters the home stretch for the February 16 election.

There are 18 candidates in the fray but the main battle is expected to be between the Congress, the BJP and the National Conference, which returns to the electoral arena after boycotting the 1996 general election. Of the six Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, Jammu alone goes to the polls in the first phase.

This, the largest constituency in the state, has returned Congress candidates since 1980 but with the National Conference back, incumbent Mangat Ram Sharma may find it difficult to extend Congress control over this prestigious seat for another term. In 1996, Sharma had defeated Vaid Vishnu Dutt of the BJP by about 47,000 votes.

The NC fielded Janak Raj Gupta who won the 1989 election on a Congress ticket while the BJP has retained Dutt, who put up a good fight, polling 147,495 votes in the last election.

The NC took to the arena claiming to be the only party in the state with a truly representative character; the BJP, meanwhile, has been highlighting the plight of Kashmiri Pandits who have been targeted by militants.

Jammu has 20 assembly segments with an electorate of 14,48,366 voters, an increase of 2,44,383 over the 1996 figure. Security measures have been increased amid fears of militant strikes.

In the last election, 48.28 per cent polling was recorded. This time, 1,610 polling stations are being set up to facilitate polling. In the 1996 assembly election, the National Conference had swept the region and it is expected to make its presence felt in this election too.

The constituency is spread over three districts -- Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch. Jammu district has 13 assembly segments, Rajouri four and Poonch three.

The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party are also in the fray but are not expected to spring any surprises. The BSP has fielded Girdhari Lal and the SP, Hardev Singh. In 1996, BSP nominee Abdur Rehman Sheikh had polled 91,580 votes.

Campaigning was initially low-key with voters displaying a lack of interest but with senior national and state leaders pitching in, the tempo gradually picked up.

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