Jahangir Sofi
Srinagar, Sep 14: One of the eight assembly constituencies of Srinagar district—Hazratbal, is all set for a fierce contest between the former minister and Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Asiea Naqash and joint candidate of National Conference-Congress, Salman Sagar.
The constituency is slated to go to the polls in the second phase of assembly elections on September 25, 2024 where a total of 1.12 lakh electorates will be deciding the fate of the candidates in the electoral fray.
With more nominations but fewer prominent contenders, the stage is set for a head-to-head contest that could redefine the future of this key constituency.
The political landscape this time differs from the 2014 elections, where Naqash emerged victorious with 13,234 votes, edging past NC’s Mohammad Syed Akhoon.
With 13 candidates cleared to run in the 2024 elections, the competition is more intense, while Asiea Naqash would seek to defend her seat against NC-Congress alliance’s Salman Sagar.
The erstwhile state, will undergo polling in three phases. There are a total of 90 assembly constituencies in J&K, one among them is Hazratbal.
The main contesting political parties in Hazratbal are the alliance of National Conference and Congress, PDP, Samajwadi Party, Democratic Progressive Azad Party and as many as 5 independent candidates.
Constituency Demographic Profile
Hazratbal is a notified area in Srinagar. It is about 10 km from the city center. The area became famous after the construction of Hazratbal Shrine, a key religious site for Muslims, where hundreds of thousands of people visit every year. It is one of the 90 constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The areas which come under the constituency of Hazratbal include Hazratbal town, Naseem Bagh, Mallabagh Srinagar, Usmaan Abad Malabagh, Batpora, Zukura, Ishber, Habak, Sadiribal, Gulab Bagh etc are among the areas which come under the Hazratbal constituency.
Hazratbal Assembly 2014 (Candidates and Parties)
During the 2014 assembly polls, 12 nominations were filed for the Hazratbal constituency of which all were accepted, including that of then PDP’s Asiea Naqash, Mohammad Syed Akhoon of NC, Masood Ul Hassan of BJP and INC’s Syed Ahmad.
In 2014, the constituency had 76,915 electors, of which 40,065 were males and 36849 females.
The constituency recorded a total poll percentage of 29.54.
Its winning candidate Asiea Naqash secured 13,234 votes, while her runner-up, Mohammad Syed Akhoon of NC garnered 9,834 votes.
Notably, in the 2014 assembly polls, deposits of 10 candidates from the constituency were forfeited.
Poll Date
The first phase will be conducted by the ECI on September 18, the second on September 25 and the final phase will be held on October 1. The Hazratbal Assembly seat will go to polls in the second phase.
Assembly Election 2024 Candidates:
Political contest this time in the Hazratbal constituency is going to be interesting, with PDP’s 2014 assembly election winner— Asiea Naqash the lone female contender from the constituency.
Naqash has served as the minister of state for Health & Medical Education, Housing & Urban Development, Industries and commerce, Power Development, and Social Welfare.
NC-Congress alliance has put forward Salman Sagar
Salman has for long been in politics and is also former Mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation. He has also served as the NC’s provincial youth president for Kashmir.
In the forthcoming assembly elections for the Hazratbal constituency, which is going to polls in the second phase of three phase election schedule, a total of 18 nominations were filed, of which, after scrutiny only 13 were accepted, and 5 rejected.
Among the notables in the poll fray battle for 2024 assembly elections from the Hazratbal constituency are its former MLA Asiea Naqash and NC’s Salman Sagar.
Interestingly, some fresh faces too have jumped in the poll fray, including the candidates from Samajwadi Party, Democratic Progressive Azad Party and as many as 5 independent candidates.
The constituency has a total of 5 independent candidates, who are also trying their political fate for the legislative assembly membership. While independents generally face an uphill battle, political experts believe that they could not affect the vote shares of the larger parties, particularly in a constituency like Hazratbal where competition is open.
Asiea Naqash, Salman Sagar, Basit Bashir Gagroo, Basit Hayat Zargar, Peer Bilal Ahmad, Dr Sajjad Hussain Qanungo, Shadib Hanief Khan, Shahid Hassan, Shabir Ahmad Ganie, Omar Majeed Wani, Faiz Ahmad Bhat, Mohd Sidiq Shah, and Mohammad Maqbool Beigh are among the candidates, contesting from the Hazratbal constituency.
The Hazratbal constituency currently has a total electorate of 1,12541 of which 56,175 are males and 56,366 are females, with a total of 118 polling stations.
Compared to 2024 assembly election’s 18 nominations, of which only 13 are contesting, while as in 2014 assembly polls, a total of 12 nominations were filed, which were equally contested by candidates.
Voter Dynamics & Polling Trends
In 2014, the constituency saw a relatively low voter turnout of 29.54 %, with the deposit of 10 out of 12 candidates being forfeited due to their poor performance.
The 2024 assembly election in Hazratbal is set to be competitive between NC-Cong alliance candidate Salman Sagar and PDP’s Asiea Naqash, both vying for the Legislative membership seat, including a mix of new political entrants.
Political experts say that both Asiea Naqash and Salman Sagar bring significant political experience and local influence to the table, but that the voter turnout and engagement will likely play a pivotal role in determining the winner.
Experts opine that the presence of independent candidates and new entrants may not pose a significant threat to the main contenders but could still affect the margins in a tight race.
