Amir Tantray
Jammu, May 22: As the Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir are entering in the last phase and Anantnag-Rajouri seat will be going for polls on May 25, this will be a testing time for both the partners of INDIA bloc, National Conference and Congress party to get popular support.
Apart from the two parliamentary constituencies of Jammu region, Udhampur and Jammu, the redesigned Anantnag-Rajouri constituency is the one seat where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a strong base in twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
Anantnag seat is going for polls during the sixth phase of the seven-phase general elections. The election on this seat was postponed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after receiving multiple requests from political parties including BJP, J&K Apni Party and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) whereas NC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had opposed the same. The elections on this seat was scheduled for third phase on May 7 but ECI changed it to sixth phase on May 25.
As per the data issued by the chief electoral officer J&K, Anantnag seat has 1830294 total electorates which include 930379 male, 899888 female and 27 third gender voters. Out of the total votes, the seven Assembly segments of twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch have a total number of 735551 whereas 11 Assembly segments of Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian districts have 1094743 votes.
Previously, Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency was confined to north of Pir Panjal whereas after delimitation Rajouri and Poonch districts of south of Pir Panjal were added to this seat making it the only constituency which is spread in both the provinces of Jammu and Kashmir.
At present there is a triangular fight between NC, PDP and Apni Party. NC has fielded Gujjar leader Mian Altaf Ahmed, who is a religious leader of his community as well, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti herself is in the race and Apni Party has given the mandate to former Member of Legislative Council (MLC), Zafar Iqbal Manhas, who enjoys the support from BJP as well.
BJP has invested among both Pahari and Gujjar communities which consist of most of the population of Rajouri and Poonch districts. In absence of the direct candidate of BJP, the saffron party is seeking votes for Apni Party as the ruling party wants to keep its vote bank intact for the upcoming Assembly elections. BJP has announced to field its candidate everywhere during forthcoming Assembly elections.
On this Lok Sabha seat, which comprises 18 Assembly segments, Congress party has strong base in few pockets where they can support the INDIA bloc partner NC in getting votes. In Assembly segments like Surankote, Rajouri, Dooru and Kokernag, Congress party has strong base and the oldest political party of the country may be able to garner support for NC candidate.
PDP on the other hand, has lost its ground in many areas like Darhal, Poonch-Haveli and Rajouri when its leaders Choudhary Zulfikar, Shah Muhammad Tantray and Choudhary Qamar left the party. It will be tough for Mehbooba Mufti to reclaim support in these areas as the party doesn’t have local leaders who enjoy a strong base among voters.
