Low voting by Pandits may hit BJP in Valley

M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, December 15

The low turnout of migrant voters and trends suggest that the BJP is unlikely to spring a surprise at old city’s Habbakadal constituency. The BJP was majorly banking on the migrant vote bank of Habbakadal for securing its first win in Kashmir.

A low turnout of 21.01 per cent yesterday at Habbakadal (with an electorate of 54, 852) would have made the migrant vote important. However, only 2,817 of the 16,271 migrant voters turned up to cast their ballot, putting a damper on the BJP dream. Besides, the migrant vote is bound to get split between the two other Pandit candidates in the fray —- former minister Raman Mattoo of the Congress and Sanjay Saraf of the Lok Janshakti Party.

Bharat Raina, who had also unsuccessfully contested from Habbakadal in 2008, said the migrant vote was bound to get split as the community had always failed to evolve a consensus. During the last Assembly polls, as many as 11 Pandits had contested from Habbakadal —- a constituency that has the highest share of the migrant vote bank.

Another Pandit, wishing not to be named, said the BJP had not chosen the right candidate for Habbakadal. “BJP candidate Moti Kaul did not have the backing of the majority among the community. A strong candidate would have motivated and propelled more Pandit voters to come out and cast their votes,” he added.

Even as he maintained that Moti Kaul might still get more votes than the Congress and the LJP in view of the “BJP wave outside”, he said his chances of victory were almost nil.

Moreover, Saraf, though not counted among the favourites to win, was more active on the ground at Habbakadal.

Meanwhile, the migrant voter turnout remained low at the other seven constituencies of Srinagar yesterday also. The BJP had fielded another Pandit candidate from Khanyar only. Only 290 migrant votes were polled at Khanyar that recorded 26.12 per cent turnout.