In Jammu city, BJP loses 51 per cent of its vote

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 21

Notwithstanding tall claims of the BJP, the results of the urban local bodies have sent warning signals to the saffron party, as it has lost a whopping 51 per cent of its vote share in three Assembly constituencies of Jammu city.

Not only the party has failed to maintain its dominance in Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Doda and Reasi districts, BJP’s vote share came down drastically in the Jammu city, which is considered as the citadel of the saffron brigade.

As per official data, in the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP had secured 1,48,081 votes in three Assembly segments of Jammu city — Gandhi Nagar, Jammu (East) and Jammu (West). But in the urban local bodies elections, the party’s vote share came down to 72,503 votes, which was 75,578 less than the Assembly polls and 51 per cent less than the 2014 vote share.

In the 63 wards of the prestigious Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), which fall under three Assembly segments of Jammu city, the BJP has secured 72,503 votes.

In the 2014 Assembly polls, it had 69,627 votes in Jammu (West), 56,679 in Gandhi Nagar and 21,776 in Jammu (East) Assembly segments, respectively. In the civic elections, the BJP has secured 34,013, 30,058 and 8,432 votes, respectively, in Jammu (West), Gandhi Nagar and Jammu (East) Assembly segments.

The failure of the BJP to maintain its vote share in Jammu city and outskirts has sent a warning signal to the party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections because three Assembly segments had ensured party’s victory on the Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat in the 2014 parliamentary elections.

In Kathua and Udhampur districts, the BJP has failed to repeat its 2014 performance in the civic elections. The party has managed to get a majority in only Hiranagar, winning seven of 13 seats, but in all other municipalities, the party has failed to attain majority. Kathua and Udhampur districts are seen as BJP citadels.

Warning signs 

• In the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP had secured 1,48,061 votes in three Assembly segments of Jammu city
• In the civic elections, it has got 72,503 votes in three segments of Jammu city
• It has secured 75,578 votes less than the 2014 elections