The election mood is palpable in this village, 14 km from Baramulla town of north Kashmir. Posters of Muzaffar Hussain Beigh stand out on the rustic walls of Chandoosa, which is also the native village of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the Baramulla constituency. The parliamentary elections in Kashmir will conclude after this strategic constituency, located close to the Line of Control, goes to the polls on Wednesday. Just like other rural areas of the Valley that went to the polls, people here are upbeat about casting their vote. They claim that the National Conference-Congress coalition government had neglected them and no development took place in the last five years. Residents of this village want to vote for change. They are hoping that this time Beigh will defeat the National Conference (NC) in its stronghold as the party has been consecutively winning the Baramulla seat since 1998. “Do you see this concrete road? It was laid when Muzaffar Beigh was the deputy chief minister (in 2007-08). A sub-district hospital, zonal education officer’s office and a police station were also set up then. However, after that we were neglected,” said AR Zargar, a villager. However, the mood in towns is just the opposite and residents say they will stay away from the polls. Though red NC flags dot a chowk in Pattan, Bashir Ahmad, a middle-aged shopkeeper, boasts of ‘foiling’ Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s recent election rally. “Nobody turned up at his (Omar’s) rally. Later, the CM went to (former MP from Baramulla) GN Shaheen’s residence and then went back as they could not hold the rally. Elections mean nothing to us,” he said. Meanwhile, the mood in separatist stronghold Sopore town of Baramulla is no different where there are no party flags and banners on roads — a norm during the election time. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Baramulla is bustling with activity as preparations are being made for the poll day. As the first two rounds of elections in Kashmir saw the killing of a poll official in a militant attack and the death of a youth in protests, holding polls peacefully is the top priority of the government. Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla, Farooq Ahmad Lone, who is also the returning officer of the constituency, said all preparations were in place to make sure polling went smoothly.