Separatists keep it low key in first phase of elections

Separatist groups have not been very active in J&K elections this time. Although a boycott call was given, the valley remained more or less free of any violent follow up to achieve that. 

Most separatist leaders of JKLF and Hurriyat Conference were arrested and prominent ones like Gelani and Umar Farooq had been put under house arrest, few days ahead of the first phase polling. The move was condemned by the PDP spokesperson Nayeem Akhtar, who called the arrests ' Against the fabric of democracy.' Heavy deployment of armed forces was also made for the smooth progression of elections.

IB intercepted a call from the notorious Haneif Saeed, head of Lashkar-e-Taiba, promising a pay hike of the separatist leaders for disrupting the democratic process. He made it clear that BJP had to be stopped from gaining a foot hold in the state and urged leaders to target the youth and try and dissuade them from voting. But not a lot of will was seen behind the more or less perfunctory call  for boycott. The usual sight of gun wielding militia terrorizing and executing the will of the anti-national elements was absent.

However,  attempts were made to scare the voters away. A landmine was unearthed in the Hussainabad constituency on Tuesday. A petrol bomb was allegedly hurled at a polling station in Naidkhai while a blast occurred outside a polling booth in Bandipura, but both the incidents have been written off by the EC a mere firework.  Overall, the state saw the completion of the first phase of polling without any hindrance from the separatists.