In a first this constituency would poll in 3 phases

New Delhi, Apr 23: Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir is polling today. In a first, elections to this seat would held in 3 phases.

The seat has been lying vacant since 2016. The seat held by Mehbooba Mufti was vacated after she became the chief minister of the state.

The elections in this constituency would be staggered. The seat comprises four districts-Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama in South Kashmir. The polls will be held district wise.

Anantnag district is polling today, while Kulgam will go to polls in the fourth phase ie April 29. On May 6 in the fifth phase, the districts of Pulwama and Shopian would go to polls.

The decision to conduct the election in phases was taken on the basis of the feedback by the security forces. Security officials explained the difficulty in conducting the elections in Anantnag. The districts of Shopian and Pulwama are swarming with terrorists. The recent suicide strike at Pulwama was also cited as one of the reasons.

In the 2009 polls, this constituency had witnessed a polling percentage of 29.

After Mehbooba vacated the seat, the Election Commission of India had announced that by-polls would be held on April 12 2017. However violent protests that led to the death of seven civilians had led to the polls being postponed. The polls were deferred to May 2017, but owing to the deteriorating situation, the polls later deferred indefinitely.