High-stakes battle on cards for Rajouri-Anantnag Lok Sabha seat

Naseer Ganai

Srinagar, February 2

The upcoming parliamentary elections in J&K are likely to throw a major battleground: the Rajouri-Anantnag constituency. This Lok Sabha seat, spanning across diverse geographical and socio-cultural landscapes, reflects a new dynamics in J&K's political landscape.

The BJP started its campaign this week by establishing poll offices throughout Kashmir, with party's general secretary Ashok Koul inaugurating its Anantnag office.

The Delimitation Commission's decision in May 2022 to combine the Anantnag constituency of Kashmir with Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu, despite being around 200 km apart and separated by the formidable Pir Panjal mountain range surprised many. Shafiq Mir, chairman of All J&K Panchayat Conference, says it seems the main consideration of the BJP behind delimitation was to make this constituency a route to enter Kashmir.

“This seat is important as Anantnag, and parts of Kulgam, Shopian and even Pulwama district of Kashmir, are with this seat. If the BJP wins this seat, it will mark its entry into Kashmir in a very big way,” Mir said. “The party after the win will never say it won because of the votes of Poonch and Rajouri. The BJP will say we have won the South Kashmir seat and thus the whole Valley is with us,” he added.

National Conference spokesperson Ifra Jan said the way the Delimitation Commission carved out this constituency tells half of the political story. Rajouri, Poonch and Anantnag are areas separated by a mountain range. Inhabitants of the two areas also speak different languages and belong to different ethnicities.

“Since the BJP is very adept at pitting different ethnic groups against each other, the assumption was that they would exploit these divisions for their own benefit. That was the mathematical calculation behind carving out this seat, even though such an arrangement would be hugely detrimental to the people of the constituency as these areas require different policies," she said.

“Parliamentary elections, however, will soon reveal that not much benefit would accrue to the BJP with this setup,” she said.

Meanwhile, on one hand in NC, there are leaders from Rajouri and Poonch who aspire to contest the seat, on the other, the PDP is equally determined not to forfeit this opportunity, preferring Mehbooba Mufti as their candidate for the contest. However, it stands as a litmus test for all involved in the political battle in J&K.

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