Plot thickens at Anantnag-Rajouri with Azad’s exit and BJP’s proxy play
On April 18, the streets leading to Anantnag town, about 55 km south of Srinagar, witnessed an endless stream of cars ferrying fervent workers of dierent political parties. Leaning their heads out of the car windows, they chanted slogans Jeet Hamari, Inshallah (victory is ours, God willing). The workers, many of whom had wrapped themselves in their respective party flags, were accompanying their candidates to file nomination papers for Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.
Outside the Returning O¦cer’s o¦ce, a maelstrom of cars led to heavy tra¦c snarls. Amidst a cacophony of newly-minted slogans and political songs, the
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti and the National Conference leader Main Altaf Ahmed filed their nomination papers.
The newly-floated Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) leader Zaar Iqbal Manhas also submitted his papers. The constituency is going to polls on May 7 in the third phase of elections and April 19 was the last date for filing the nomination papers.
NOT IN THE RACE
Since the announcement of Lok Sabha elections, the spotlight has been firmly fixed on the seat as the BJP and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad were expected to contest from the seat. His Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) announced Azad’s candidature, while the BJP chose
On April 17, DPAP Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad announced that he would not enter the poll fray as he only wanted to serve the people of J&K by staying with them
to keep its cards close to its chest.
It was being widely debated whether AnantnagRajouri seat would provide
the BJP its much-desired gateway to the Valley. However, as the last date for filing the nomination papers drew close, both the parties
sprang a surprise by opting out of the race.
On April 17, Azad announced that he would not enter the poll fray as he only wanted to serve the people of Jammu and Kashmir by staying among them.
“The people reminded me of this commitment after my party decided to field me from the AnantnagLok Sabha seat,” Azad said. The party named Mohammad Saleem Parray as their candidate from the seat.
Over the last few weeks, Azad toured many parts of Jammu and Kashmir and held a flurry of rallies and meetings ostensibly to gauge the public mood. According to his political adversaries, he perceived the sentiment to be against him, spurring his decision to withdraw from the polls.
PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan told businessline that Azad found popular sentiment against him as he failed to conceal his BJP backing. “Moreover, he lacked a connect with people and a sense of rootedness in Anantnag,” he added.
The BJP, at the same time, had hinted a few days before the deadline for the filing of nomination papers that it might not contest the election from Kashmir. During his visit to Jammu on April 16, Home Minister Amit Shah said: “the lotus would bloom on its own in the Valley” and the “party is not in a hurry”.
BJP leader Altaf Thakur says that steering clear of polls is a tactical move.
HIGH-STAKES ELECTION
The party has very high stakes in the polls. A defeat could mean the delegitimisation of the abrogation of Article 370 and the party’s development and normalcy narratives.
There is a general feeling among the common people and political class that the BJP has opted to contest the elections in Kashmir through its proxies like the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) and Sajad Ghani Lone-led People’s Conference (PC).
A recent meeting between the BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir in-charge Tarun Chugh and Lone at the residence of JKAP chief Altaf Bukhari lent some credence to such perceptions.
“It appears that despite the BJP’s attempts at political engineering, traditional parties like the NC and the PDP still enjoy significant support, suggesting that the BJP’s eorts may not have yielded the desired results,” said a Valley-based political analyst.
He said that the BJP was now trying to enter the Valley through its proxies.