Campaigning for the third phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir came to an end on Sunday with the militant attack in Uri, which is one of the 16 Valley seats going to polls on Tuesday, casting a shadow on the elections which saw a record over 70 per cent turnout in the first two stages.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, his three cabinet colleagues and 10 other sitting MLAs are among the 144 candidates in the fray with stakes high for Peoples Democratic Party which held nine of the 16 seats going to polls.
More than 13.69 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes for seven assembly seats in Baramulla district including Uri, five assembly segments in Budgam district and four in Pulwama district of the Valley.
Eleven security force personnel were killed while six militants were also eliminated on Friday when militants also hurled a grenade in south Kashmir Tral constituency leaving two persons dead and 10 others injured.
Security arrangements in all the three districts, where voting will be held, have been strengthened in view of the Friday's deadly attack while election authorities have established 1,781 polling stations in the area.
Senior leaders of all major political parties campaigned for their candidates. Among the prominent campaigners were Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, his predecessors Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain.
Omar, who chose to contest from Beerwah assembly segment in Budgam district instead of his family bastion of Ganderbal, will be hoping that some of the recent steps taken by his government for the area will help him sail through from a constituency which was won by PDP candidates in the last two elections.
Omar's bid for a second term in the assembly will face a stiff challenge from incumbent MLA and PDP leader Mohammad Shafi Wani and Congress contender Nazir Ahmad Khan, whose father Sarfaraz Khan had won from Beerwah in 2002 elections as a PDP candidate.
More than Omar, the third phase of election is important for the PDP as it represents nine of the 16 constituencies while National Conference holds only four seats. While the PDP has given mandate to six sitting MLAs including Wani, it has fielded fresh faces in the other three constituencies.
Imran Ansari was shifted from Zadibal constituency in Srinagar to Pattan constituency in Baramulla district following the death of his father and sitting MLA Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari.
In Rajpora constituency of Pulwama, the PDP has fielded former banker Haseeb Drabu, denying mandate to sitting MLA Syed Bashiruddin who is contesting as an independent candidate.
The party has fielded Javed Ahmad Beigh from Baramulla seat following election of sitting MLA Muzaffar Hussain Beigh to the Lok Sabha earlier this year. The another constituency that will be keenly watched is Chrar-e-Sharief where Finance Minister and NC leader Abdul Rahim Rather is seeking seventh consecutive term.
Rather, who already holds the state record for highest number of consecutive wins from one constituency, however, is facing anti-incumbency as he has lost the Lok Sabha polls as an NC candidate from the constituency for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Agriculture Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, who was at the centre of controversy sparked by former Army Chief V K Singh's claim that politicians in Jammu and Kashmir were on pay rolls on Army, will be seeking fourth term from Gulmarg assembly segment.
Senior Congress leader and Minister for Health Taj Mohiuddin will be seeking third consecutive term from Uri segment. Khansahib constituency in Budgam district will see Hakim Mohammad Yasin of Peoples Democratic Front seeking third consecutive term by wading off challenge from former separatist and now PDP candidate Saiduddin Bhat.
The other sitting MLAs who are seeking re-election include NC leaders Mohammad Ashraf Ganaie (Sopore), Aga Roohullah (Budgam), Javed Ahmad Dar (Rafiabad), PDP leaders Basharat Bukhari (Sangrama), Javed Mustafa Mir (Chadoora), Mushtaq Ahmad Shah (Tral), Zahoor Ahmad Mir (Pampore) and Mohammad Khalil Bandh (Pulwama).
The third phase of elections will be held in the backdrop of one of the deadliest day's in recent history of Kashmir as 21 persons including 11 security personnel and eight militants were killed in four incidents that took place across the Valley.
The first two phases of elections -- on November 25 and December 2 -- passed off peacefully with over 70 per cent voters exercising their franchise.
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