India General Elections 2024: Border villages enjoy peaceful voting without fear of cross-border shelling

Former J&K CM and Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti protests before voting in Anantnag. Pic/AFP

Just metres from the Line of Control (LoC), the polling stations set up for Lok Sabha elections at Sehar and Makri, the last Indian villages in this sector of Jammu & Kashmir's Rajouri district, came to life with enthusiastic voters making a beeline to exercise their franchise without the fear of cross-border shelling.

Rajouri along with Poonch, south of Pir Panjal, is part of Anantnag parliamentary constituency where polling is underway in the sixth phase to seal the fate of 20 candidates including PDP president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti. This is the last of the five constituencies in J&K as polling was held in four seats earlier.

Mehbooba faces a major challenge from former minister of the National Conference and influential Gujjar leader Mian Altaf and Apni Party's Zafar Iqbal Khan Manhas who is backed by BJP. Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) leader Mohamad Saleem Parray and 10 Independents are also trying their luck in the constituency. "Voting is taking place in a peaceful atmosphere without the fear of cross-border shelling this time.

We have seen the worst of the times due to the shelling from Pakistan and our only prayer is a continuation of the peaceful atmosphere on the borders," Ved Prakash, a resident of Makri village, which falls near the border fence, told PTI after casting his vote. A renewed ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into effect on February 25, 2021, providing much-needed relief to the border residents.

Authorities have set up 19 border polling stations along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch and have also worked out a contingency plan to deal with cross-border shelling.

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No of candidates in the fray in Anantnag

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