Rift widens: Jammu goes the saffron way

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 23

Unlike voters in the Kashmir valley, where people have given a fractured mandate, those in Jammu have overwhelmingly voted for the BJP, be it the plains of Jammu and Samba districts or the hills of Ramban, Kishtwar and Doda districts.

A Narendra Modi wave virtually swept the Jammu region from Lakhanpur to Rajouri. The mountainous Poonch district was the only one which this wave could not penetrate. The BJP opened its account in all other nine districts.

There was a clean sweep for the BJP in Kathua and Samba districts as the party won all seven Assembly seats in the two districts. The victory of party candidates was a clear indication that the voting pattern was decisive in the Jammu region.

The BJP won a majority of seats by a margin over more than 10,000 votes, especially in the plains of Jammu province, dominated by Hindus. In urban areas, voters overpoweringly voted for BJP candidates.

In Jammu West, the victory margin was 50,629 votes, an all-time high in BJP history. The party won Hiranagar by a margin of 39,284 votes, Raipur-Domana by 32,143 votes and Samba by 22,118 votes.

Voters in the Jammu region decided to give a decisive mandate to the BJP. The wipeout of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party from the political scene was an indicator in this regard. Three of its sitting MLAs lost miserably despite the fact that they were propagating the pro-Jammu cause.

In the erstwhile Doda district, comprising six Assembly seats, members of the Hindu community voted en masse for the BJP as there was complete polarisation in this belt. Voters strategically voted for BJP candidates in Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and Bhaderwah.