SRINAGAR: The third and final phase of the J&K Assembly polls for 40 seats would be held on Tuesday. The big question is whether BJP would repeat its 2014 performance from the Jammu region and whether MP Er Rashid’s magic that was on display in parliamentary polls would work again in north Kashmir this time in his presence and changed political situation.These 40 Assembly seats include 24 in four districts in Jammu and 16 in three districts of north Kashmir. As many as 415 candidates are in the fray and about 39.18 lakh electors are eligible to vote.The authorities have set up 5,060 polling stations across seven districts for the polls, which is the first Assembly poll in J&K post Article 370 abrogation and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two UTs.The third phase will be a high-stake battle for BJP, which is banking on its good showing in the Jammu region for forming a government in J&K. The party won all 25 seats in 2014 polls from the region. It also won both parliamentary seats from the region recently but to the concern of the party, its vote share dropped by 5-10%. It was the Congress gain.“This time there is no BJP wave. In fact there is resentment against the BJP due to varied reasons which also includes growing unemployment in the state, rising power bills and downgrading J&K state into a Union Territory and holding Assembly polls after 10 years,” said a local resident.‘In past, Jamaat made a blunder by not contesting polls’Sayar Ahmed Reshi, the leader of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami, is contesting from south Kashmir’s Kulgam as an independent. In an interview with Fayaz Wani, Sayar says that not contesting the elections in the past was a historical blunder of Jamaat. Excerpts:Jamaat is contesting after 1987. How is the people’s response?Overwhelming… People from all sections of society participated enthusiastically in my campaign. Even Kashmiri Pandits are supporting me.What prompted you to contest despite a ban on Jamaat?One cannot work under the Jamaat banner, but as a citizen of the country, one can carry out his/her activities. There is uncertainty among thousands of Jamaat-run school passouts. There is a need to revive welfare organisations that were earlier closed because of the ban. Was Jamaat wrong by not participating in the past polls?Had we contested, today, Jamaat would have been a force to reckon with. It was a historical blunder not to contest the polls. Many accuse the Jamaat of being a BJP proxy. Had it been so, then there would have been no ban on us and our leaders and workers would not have been in jail.
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