Leaders’ Iftar diplomacy to expand voter base

Arjun Sharma

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Jammu, April 13

Leaders of Kashmir-based political parties are throwing Iftar parties in Jammu these days to use the opportunity to enhance their political clout amid the demand for Assembly elections.

The vote bank of such parties, including the PDP and the National Conference (NC), has eroded gradually in Jammu as the last Assembly polls in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir were held in 2014.

Former CM and NC chief Farooq Abdullah hosted an Iftar party at a hotel in Jammu on April 7, in which leaders of the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and the J&K National Panthers Party were present. Congress president Vikar Rasool Wani and working president Raman Bhalla were also present.

The NC has been struggling to gain ground in Jammu since its popular Rajput face Devender Singh Rana joined the BJP in October 2021. A former MLA, Rana has been able to garner support of his supporters for the saffron party.

On the other hand, the Apni Party, formed in 2020, is also busy carving out its vote base in the Jammu region. Its leader Altaf Bukhari held a public meeting in Samba district on Sunday and later threw an Iftar party in which local leadership and prominent people of the area were invited.

Taking the opportunity to raise the demand for polls, Bukhari said, “The development activities have stopped because the bureaucrats are not answerable to the people. In this holy month of Ramadan, Navratri and upcoming festival of Baisakhi, the authorities have not been able to ensure 24/7 electricity to the people, which shows their inability to work without an elected government.” While PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti had hosted an Iftar party in Jammu last year, she did not host any this time.

Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Azad Party leader and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was also seen taking part in Iftar parties outside J&K. Even the administration threw an Iftar party in Ganderbal in which over 500 locals, including district officials, were present.