look news india
Srinagar, May 11 (HS). This is the first Lok Sabha election being held in Jammu and Kashmir, which fascinates tourists with its natural beauty, after the removal of Article 370. Voting will be held on May 13 for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat of strategically important Kashmir Valley. Candidates of all political parties are not only making the voters aware of the issues but are also trying to connect themselves with them emotionally.
Election bustle has started in Srinagar from today (Saturday) morning. Since it is the last day of the election campaign, the election cycle is in full swing from the coffee houses of Lal Chowk to the banks of Dal Lake and also on the houseboats. This is a good opportunity for the tourists visiting Kashmir Valley to know about Srinagar politically.
Aamir, who has been running shikaras on Dal Lake for years, says that the government needs to further promote tourism. If Kashmir gets statehood, tourism will develop rapidly here. The women here are also very excited about the elections. Alima, a former Sachpanch of a village in Budgam, says that there is peace here after the removal of Article 370. Stone pelting has stopped. Earlier there was a lot of fear of terrorists. Was afraid to even leave the house. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has done a great job of restoring peace by removing Article 370 from Kashmir.
Rajni, former sarpanch of Kupwara, says that there was a lot of fear of terrorists in her area too. Now the atmosphere is quite calm. Hoping to bring Kashmiri Pandits back to the valley, she says that now all Kashmiri Pandits and Sikh people should return to their homes.
Women are quite disappointed with BJP not fielding candidates on three seats in the valley. Halima says that it is very sad that Bharatiya Janata Party has not fielded any of its candidates. She says that she wants to strengthen the hands of Narendra Modi, because by removing Article 370 on 05 August 2019, he has established an atmosphere of peace here. Earlier the situation here was very bad due to terrorist attacks, firing and strikes. Now there is no stone pelting here and tourism has also got a boost.
Laik, who runs a kebab center near Dal Lake, says that his livelihood is dependent on tourists. If they are given a little more facilities, they can remain happy throughout the year. In summer, all the hotels here remain full but in the rest of the season, tourists come less. Taxi driver Shamim Bakkarwal says the main issue of the valley is employment. If the youth here get good employment then they will also be able to participate in the development of the valley. However, he seemed upset with the removal of Article 370. He said who wants their privileges to be taken away but now we should be given statehood.
Who are the candidates from where on the five seats of Kashmir?
There are five Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir – two in Jammu and three in Kashmir. Voting has been held in the first two phases on two seats of Jammu division – Udhampur and Jammu, in which BJP candidate Union Minister Jitendra Singh has tried his luck from Udhampur and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma from Jammu seat. Elections are to be held on three seats in Kashmir. Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of PDP is contesting against Mian Altaf of NC in Anantnag-Rajouri seat. Apni Party's Zafar Iqbal Manhas is contesting from this seat. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah from NC, Fayaz Mir from PDP and People's Conference chief Sajjad Lone are in the fray from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat. Voting will be held for Srinagar seat in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 13. Here National Conference (NC) leader Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, PDP's Waheed Para and Apni Party's Mohammad Ashraf Mir are in the fray. Voting will be held in Baramulla on May 20 and Anantnag-Rajouri seat on May 25.