Amid security challenges in the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, an election party has been dispatched from the border town of Poonch to conduct polling on Saturday at the remotest mountainous area of Hillkaka, which was once known for having the largest number of terrorist hideouts in the history of insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir.

Districts falling in south Kashmir’s Anantnag constituency were identified as the hotbed of terrorism in J&K, and terror activities have resurfaced after a brief period of peace in its segments of Rajouri and Poonch in the Jammu division.

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District Election Officer, Poonch, Yasin M Choudhary and Senior Superintendent of Police Youghal Manhas flagged off poll parties to Hillkaka and various other polling stations of the district.

The Indian Army launched ‘Operation Sarp Vinash’ in 2003 to flush out terrorists who had built concrete bunkers in an area of about 150 kms on the strategic mountain top of the Pir Panjal ranges.

More than 25,000 security forces personnel have been deployed for conduct of peaceful polling amidst heightened terrorist activities in the Rajouri and Poonch districts. Top brass of the Army, J&K Police and security forces met earlier this week to chalk out the strategy for peaceful election in the two districts that have witnessed terrorist attacks at Army convoys and civilians in the recent past.

Four terror incidents recently occurred in which an IAF Corporal, a government employee and a BJP activist were killed. A tourist couple from Jaipur was injured in a terrorist attack near Pahalgam in south Kashmir.

Polling for the constituency was initially scheduled to be held on 7 May but was deferred to 25 May by the election commission.

In a bid to maintain uninterrupted contact with the polling staff at the remote booths, satellite phones and wireless sets have been provided to them.

Out of 474 polling booths, there are atleast 19 polling stations along the Line of Control (LOC) in Rajouri and Poonch. Besides, about 50 polling booths are within 5 kms radius of the LOC, 24 within 2 kms radius and 12 ahead of the border fence.

There are 20 candidates in the fray but the main contest is between the PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, who has represented the Anantnag constituency twice in 2004 and 2014, spiritual Gujjar leader and National Conference candidate Mian Altaf and Apni Party’s Zafar Iqbal Manhas who is backed by BJP that has not fielded its candidate.

The constituency witnessed a low voting percentage of 8.98% in the last Lok Sabha election in 2019. However, the constituency has now been reshaped by including in it Rajouri and Poonch that have always recorded high percentage of polling.

The fate of 20 candidates will be decided by 18, 36,576 voters enrolled in 5 districts of Kulgam, Anantnag, Poonch, Shopian and Rajouri. They include 9,33,647 male and 9,02,902 female voters and 27 third gender voters. Around 17,967 persons with disability and 540 persons above the age of 100 years are also in the voter list.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has set up 2,338 polling stations across the Anantnag- Rajouri Parliamentary Constituency. More than 9,000 polling staff, including reserves, will be deployed on duty.