Sensing Defeat, BJP Opts Out Of Contest In Kashmir Valley: Who Are Proxies Of BJP?

SRINAGAR/JAMMU: With the last date for nominations for the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat in Jammu and Kashmir coming to a close, suspense over Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) entering the contest in the Valley’s three seats on its own or through proxies is now over.

The BJP did not field any candidate leaving the electoral battle open between the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), at least in Anantnag-Rajouri for now.

Indications to this extent were made last week during Union Home Minister, Amit Shah’s rally in Jammu, when he asked voters in Kashmir to vote against the NC and PDP.

The party on Friday announced that it will instead support a candidate of their choice.

The move is an indication of the strong public resentment against the BJP not just in the Valley but also the Jammu province.

The Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, which spans across the two divisions, was carved out in the 2022 delimitation exercise carried out only in Jammu and Kashmir. Barring the BJP, all political parties had criticized the move and said that it was designed to break the Kashmiri homogeneity and suit the BJP. It was also speculated that BJP would manage to wean away a chunk of Paharis, after the latter were granted Scheduled Tribe Status, and add them to their kitty of the Hindu vote bank in Rajouri-Poonch and the sizeable Kashmiri migrant vote in Anantnag.

The Anantnag-Rajouri seat has over 18 lakh voters and spans from Anantnag in south Kashmir to Poonch in Pir Panjal after delimitation. The 18 assembly segments are connected by treacherous roads, posing campaigning challenges. The region has also seen recent militant attacks on security forces.

National Conference’s Mian Altaf and PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti are in a direct contest for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah criticized the BJP for not contesting directly in the three Kashmir seats, hinting they are supporting “proxies” like the Peoples Conference and Apni Party. The Apni Party has field Zafar Iqbal Manhas as its candidate in Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency.

He has said that this reveals that the party and its government have failed to win over the hearts of the people after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

“In 2019, the BJP contested all seats, but now the Home Minister says they will first win people’s hearts before fielding candidates,” Abdullah stated. He alleged that the 2019 decisions have angered and alienated the public, leading to the BJP’s inability to garner support.

Although the BJP is not directly contesting in the Kashmir valley, Abdullah accused the party of “holding the reins from behind” and alleged that the BJP was backing Sajad Lone’s Peoples Conference and Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party.

Though neither of the two parties are expected to win any of the three Valley seats, with the Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) off the rocks and National Conference, backed by Congress-led INDIA Bloc, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which is going solo, pitted against each other, speculations are that other key regional players could create a dent in the vote banks of both PDP and NC.

Interestingly while Lone has been making counter allegations of the National Conference hobnobbing with the BJP, Bukhari chose to wear his BJP loyalty on his sleeve.

Altaf Bukhari, the President of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, on Thursday firmly stated his support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that New Delhi backs those who represent the aspirations of the people. Bukhari credited the central government led by Modi for establishing peace in J&K.

Speaking to reporters, Bukhari proclaimed that New Delhi stands with those who advocate for the interests of the people, leaving no room in India for those who fail to represent their aspirations. He highlighted that when he floated the Apni Party in 2020, he faced criticism and abuse from various quarters, but remained resolute in his commitment to honest and transparent politics.

Bukhari directly aligned himself with Prime Minister Modi, stating that it was the PM who gave protection to land and jobs in J&K, abrogated Article 370, and will restore statehood, which is a core agenda of the Apni Party. He praised Modi for his actions, which he believes have benefited the region.

Overall, Bukhari portrayed himself as a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Modi and his policies, crediting the central government for establishing peace and representing the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Other than that, he took a dig at Omar Abdullah and questioned why the National Conference leader decided to contest from North Kashmir instead of Srinagar. “He left Srinagar when the people needed him,” Bukhari said, suggesting that Abdullah may have assessed his chances of winning from Srinagar as low.

Sajjad Lone, who is contesting elections from Baramulla constituency, during his campaign, has desisted from criticism of the BJP but has trained his guns on the National Conference, accusing the Abdullahs of a clandestine pact with the BJP and also recalling the NC’s role in the 1987 election rigging.

Unlike Bukhari, Lone did not make any claims of proximity with the BJP. On April 17, in a retort to Omar Abdullah, he is reported to have questioned the implications of labeling his supporters as ‘agents of Delhi’ or ‘manipulated by agencies’.

“Omar has a habit of humiliating everyone. I want to ask him, are the people supporting us mere agents of Delhi? Are they manipulated by agencies? Why do you habitually demean and insult the people of Kashmir? Do you hold a license to label and question the people’s choices, humiliating them in the process?” said Lone.

Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) is also being seen as the B team of the BJP by observers and the electorate.

However, contrary to many speculations, Azad has opted out of the contest in Anantnag but is fielding Mohammed Saleem Parray, who is a political non-entity.

DPAP, however, is likely to make a minimal impact in Udhampur-Doda constituency which went to polls on Friday. DPAP’s Saroori is likely to wean away a substantial Muslim vote-bank in Bhaderwah, which is both his bastion as well as Azad’s. He may also create some dent in the Congress vote-bank in other parts of the Chenab Valley.

However, the Udhampur contest appears to be a direct one between BJP’s Jitendra Singh who is battling anti-incumbency and his opponent Chowdhry Lal Singh’s election organizational skills.

Lal Singh, who recently rejoined Congress after a decade-long hiatus, during which he first joined BJP and later floated his own Dogra Swabhiman Party, is contesting the election on a Congress ticket and is backed by the National Conference.

Psephologists predict a likely victory for Lal Singh despite the Saroori factor. Observers have pointed out to his robust campaigns including door-to-door mass contact programs and his rallies.

Lal Singh’s rally in Udhampur, a day after prime minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally there, is reported to have been bigger than Modi’s.

As of now, the fate of Lal Singh and 11 other contestants in fray in the constituency is sealed after Udhampur went to vote on Friday.

The Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed a massive voter turnout on Friday, with 65.08% of the 16.23 lakh voters exercising their franchise by 5 p.m.

The constituency comprises five districts and 18 Assembly segments. Notably, Kathua recorded the highest voter turnout at 70.8%, which is the hometown of Congress candidate Chaudhary Lal Singh. 67.33% in Udhampur West and 69.96% in Udhampur East.

The Muslim-majority Assembly segments, where the Congress candidate’s fate depends, also saw a significant voter turnout despite wet weather conditions.

The Muslim-majority Assembly segments of Banihal saw 56.62%, Bhaderwah 60.85%, Doda 65.78%, Doda West 66.62%, Kishtwar 62.51% and Ramban 64.76%.

Out of the total 16.23 lakh voters in Udhampur, 7.77 lakh are female voters. As many as 84,468 people are in the 18-19 years category, including 45,825 male and 38,641 female voters.

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