High turnout keeps parties guessing

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 21

The record polling in the five-phased elections for the 12th Legislative Assembly has kept the candidates and their supporters guessing about the poll outcome and formation of the new government in Jammu and Kashmir.

The contesting candidates and their supporters remained busy making frantic calls to ground-level workers throughout the day and getting information about the number of votes polled at their native polling stations and making calculations regarding their winning prospects. Interestingly, some candidates were seen visiting religious places and spiritual leaders to seek blessings for their success in the electoral battle.

“After hectic canvassing and campaigning for months, we were relaxed today. We are anxiously waiting for the poll outcome. We are confident of registering a win over the seat but it is difficult to predict the winning margin because the voters kept their cards close till the last moment,” said a supporter of the NC candidate from the Nagrota Assembly seat.

The fate of 831 candidates in the fray for the 87 Assembly constituencies across 22 districts has been sealed in 20,000 electronic voting machines. The counting of votes will be held on December 23. In the final phase of the elections for 20 Assembly seats of Jammu province yesterday, the Election Commission said the Assembly elections broke the records of the past 25 years by registering an overall polling percentage of 66 — five per cent more than the 2008 Assembly elections. In the final phase, the voter turnout was 76 per cent.

“Some candidates were expecting an easy win but the high voter turnout across the state has made them panicky. They have now kept their fingers crossed. The BJP poll managers, who were thinking of getting benefit of the low turnout on some seats in Muslim-majority segments, have been forced to think as to what will be the fate of their candidates in such seats,” a senior saffron party leader said. The exit polls conducted by various agencies and news channels have predicted a hung Assembly, with the PDP emerging as the largest political party.

The BJP, which had embarked on its Mission 44-plus, is expected to see a rise but not to the level where it can form the government on its own. The party may emerge as the second largest party in the polls.