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The third phase of assembly election covering 27 seats in four districts of Jammu and Kashmir will be held on Tuesday amid threat of violence and a boycott appeal by separatist outfits.
Deputy Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir assembly Haider Malik, three ministers -- Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Shah, Bashir Ahmad Nangroo and Sakina Itoo -- are among the 226 candidates whose fate will be decided by 17.81 lakh voters.
Silence fell over Anantnag, Pulwama, Kathua and Udhampur districts as security forces and police personnel took up positions in and around the nearly 2,000 polling stations to instil confidence among the voters and scuttle the designs of militants to disrupt the electoral process, officials said.
As many as 3,63,928 voters including 1,93,385 males and 1,70,543 females would exercise their franchise on October 1 to decide the fate of 59 candidates in 425 polling stations in five different assembly constituencies of Kathua district.
While the highest of 22 candidates are in the fray in Kathua constituency, 14 are in Billawar, nine in Hiranagar, eight in Basholi, six in Bani constituency.
The fate of the People's Democratic Party vice-president Mehbooba Mufti, counter-insurgent-turned-politician Liaqat Ali Khan and six female candidates, including Khalida Mushtaq [who is battling for life in a hospital following a landmine attack two days ago] is at stake.
There seems to be a great deal of enthusiasm for the polls in the border areas, with close to 104 villages dotting the international border witnessing a festive atmosphere.
Star campaigners of prominent parties have addressed public meetings at these villages. Prominent bigwigs to have visited the border areas include Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, National Conference chief Omar Abdullah, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, Union ministers Uma Bharti and Sushma Swaraj.
The people of these border areas want Resident of Backward Areas (RBA) status to be given to them as has been given to the residents of the villages along the LoC.
The NC and the Congress have already promised to grant the these residents reservation in jobs and professional courses that is already being given to LoC residents, said a Pansar border village resident, Sansar Chand.
Meanwhile, 160 additional companies of Central Reserve Police Force have been deployed.
Eighty companies of CRPF have been deployed in Jammu region for election duty with 13 in Jammu, seven in Doda, 38 in Kathua, 4 in Rajouri and 12 companies in Udhampur.
Another 80 companies have been pressed into service in Srinagar region with one each in Baramulla and Srinagar, 11 in Kupwara, 36 in Anantnag and 31 in Pulwama.
These 160 companies are in addition to the existing 237 companies of CRPF, which are already deployed in Jammu and Kashmir for law and order and counter-insurgency operations.
PTI
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