Ali Asad
Srinagar, Jun 8: The recent Lok Sabha elections have proven challenging for two former Chief Ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. Both leaders faced significant losses in their respective constituencies, with Omar Abdullah losing in 15 out of 18 assembly constituencies and Mehbooba Mufti in 16 out of 18.
Omar Abdullah’s Performance: National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah managed to secure victories in only three constituencies: Pattan, Gurez, and Budgam. In Budgam and Pattan, Omar’s lead was marginal, with just six and four votes respectively over independent candidate Engineer Rashid. Engineer Rashid, who contested as an independent, dominated the Baramulla seat, outperforming Omar in most areas including Sopore, Uri, and Karnah. People’s Conference candidate Sajjad Gani Lone also outshone Omar in Handwara, securing more votes than all his competitors.
Mehbooba Mufti’s Performance: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti found support in only two assembly constituencies on the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, Bijbehara and Anantnag West, where she led against the winning NC candidate Mian Altaf. However, in other areas such as Kulgam, Doru, and Nowshera, Mehbooba’s performance was weak, with her vote count falling below 10,000 in several constituencies. Despite her perceived influence in Anantnag, the voters did not back her in this election. In Bijbehara, she secured a lead of about 2,500 votes.
Additional Insights
Engineer Rashid’s victory: Engineer Rashid’s strong performance is notable, with substantial support in separatist strongholds like Sopore, Uri, and Karnah.
Sajjad Gani Lone’s dominance: Sajjad Gani Lone of People’s Conference showed significant strength in Handwara.
Nazir Ahmed Khan’s candidacy: Nazir Ahmed Khan, brother of separatist Naeem Khan, contested from the Baramulla seat under the Jammu Kashmir Nationalist People’s Front but received only 2,019 votes.He even lost his security deposit.
Non-local candidate in Anantnag: Baldev Kumar, a non-local from Mohali, contested from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat and garnered 6,189 votes (0.6 percent).
Candidate vote counts and percentages: Engineer Rashid: 472,481 votes (45.7%), Omar Abdullah: 268,339 votes (25.95%), Sajjad Gani Lone: 173,239 votes (16.76%), Mian Altaf: 521,836 votes (50.85%), Mehbooba Mufti: 240,042 votes (23.39%), and Zafar Iqbal Manhas: 142,195 votes (13.86%).
