PDP leaders urge Mehbooba Mufti to contest Lok Sabha elections from Rajouri-Anantnag seat

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Srinagar, February 24

PDP president and ex-CM Mehbooba Mufti chaired a parliamentary board meeting here today. The party issued a statement, mentioning that Mehbooba presided over the meeting of senior leaders from Pir Panjal region to discuss the party presentations for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

A senior PDP leader said no decision was taken during the meeting. However, he said, the leaders from Rajouri and Poonch insisted that Mehbooba should contest from the Rajouri-Anantnag Lok Sabha seat. They argued Mehbooba Mufti could mobilise people in this crucial constituency having significant number of Pahari, Gujjar and Kashmiri voters. “The argument of the leaders from Rajouri Poonch was that since Mehbooba Mufti has appeal in all these sections, she could easily win the seat,” the PDP leader said.

The Rajouri-Anantnag constituency was carved out in what is perceived as the most “controversial decision” of the Delimitation Commission in May 2022 when it merged the distant districts of Rajouri and Poonch of Jammu with the Anantnag and Kulgam areas of Kashmir, forming a single parliamentary constituency.

Spanning around 200 km and being separated by the imposing Pir Panjal mountain range, this newly formed constituency has 18 Assembly segments, including Anantnag, Budhal, Devsar, DH Pora, Dooru, Kokernag, Kulgam, Mendhar, Nowshera, Pahalgam, Poonch Haveli, Rajouri, Shangus-Anantnag East, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Surankot, Thannamandi and Zainapora, with an electorate of around 14 lakh voters.

While nearly half of the voters are Kashmiris, 28.5% are Paharis and 21.5% Gujjars. Historically, the BJP has struggled in this region, with only one victory in the 2014 state polls, while often forfeiting security deposits on other seats.

Despite the stronghold of the National Conference, Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP and the Congress have a base in most Assembly segments. The BJP is expecting support from the Pahari community after the government’s move to grant ST status to them.

However, the inclusion of Paharis in the ST category has created unease among the Gujjar-Bakerwal community, who fear it could undermine their interests.