Multi-cornered contest to be witnessed on twin assembly seats in Shopian

Shopian, Aug 30: Bustling with political rallies and door-to-door campaigns, the electoral landscape of south Kashmir’s Shopian district sprang to life following the filing of nomination papers by the candidates.

The district comprises two poll constituencies—Shopian and Zainapora—and will go to polls in the first phase of elections scheduled for September 18. Both the constituencies have a combined total of 2,09,039 registered voters, including 1,04,882 males, 1,04,150 females, and 7 transgender voters. A total of 28 candidates—13 from Shopian and 15 from Zainapora—filed their nomination papers. However, after the scrutiny of nomination papers, the candidature of 7 candidates were rejected from both the constituencies.

Following the announcement of the Assembly polls by the Election Commission of India, workers of principal political parties, National Conference (NC), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Apni Party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled up their socks for the elections. However, both the NC and the PDP faced desertions as soon as they announced their  candidates, spurring the deserters to either run as independent candidates or switch loyalty to other parties.

While the NC leader Shabir Ahmad Kullay decided to contest independently after the party fielded former MLA Sheikh Mohammad Rafi from the Shopian constituency, two PDP leaders Raja Waheed and former lawmaker Aijaz Ahmad Mir parted ways with the party as it refused to give them tickets from the Shopian and Zainapora constituencies.

Upon his resignation from the PDP, Waheed filed his nomination papers on the ticket of the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) while Mir is running as an independent candidate. The party fielded Yawar Ahmad Banday from Shopian and Ghulam Mohiuddin Wani from Zainapora constituency.

Shopian Constituency

A straight contest was expected between the NC’s Sheikh Mohmmad Rafi and the PDP candidate Yawar Banday. However, Kullay’s exit from the NC added a new dimension to the constituency, making it a three-cornered contest.

In 1996, when the Assembly elections were held after a good six years, the constituency sent Rafi to the Assembly. However, in the subsequent elections of 2002, 20028 and 2014, the PDP retained the seat.

Prior to 2002, the seat was traditionally considered as a bastion of the NC. The party won it unopposed in the 1962 elections. It was followed by the victories in 1977, 1983 and 1987 elections with an impressive voting percentage of 59. 34% (1977), 48.00 % (1983) and 49.10 % (1987).

Zainapora Constituency

Prior to re-mapping of electoral territories by the Delimitation Commission, the seat was known as the Wachi Assembly constituency. This Assembly segment is poised for a nip and tuck contest between NC’s Showkat Ahmad Ganie and PDP candidate and party state secretary Ghulam Mohidin Wani.

The constituency emerged as the PDP’s stronghold in 2008 when former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti won the seat. From 1977 to 1996, the NC registered four consecutive victories from the seat with the voting percentage of 67.04 % in 1977, 56.17 % in 1983, 49.66 % in 1987 and 55.85 % in 1996. In 2002 Assembly elections, the seat was won by CPI(M) leader Mohammd Khalil Nayak.