In first Lok Sabha election post Article 370 scrapping, BJP not in the fray in 3 Kashmir seats | Explained in 5 points

The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 are the archetypal wide elections successful Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution successful August 2019 by the BJP-ruled centre that stripped its peculiar status. The authorities besides downgraded the erstwhile authorities into 2 Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

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There are 5 Lok Sabha seats successful J&K – 2 successful Jammu and 3 successful Kashmir. The 2 seats of the Jammu part – Udhampur and Jammu – that voted successful the archetypal 2 phases had salient BJP candidates successful the fray. Union Minister Jitendra Singh contested from his spot successful Udhampur portion Member of Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma sought re-election from the Jammu seat.

NC, PDP & BJP ‘proxies’

In the lack of the BJP candidates, the 2 determination parties of Kashmir – the J&K National Conference and the J&K People's Democratic Party (PDP) are pitted against each different successful the 3 seats of Muslim-majority Kashmir.

There are different parties excessively – erstwhile separatist person Sajad Lone’s J&K People’s Conference (PC), Altaf Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party and erstwhile main curate Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP). But the NC and the PDP person called these parties ‘proxies’ fielded by the BJP.

Former main curate Omar Abdullah, for example, is contesting from Baramulla spot wherever helium is up against PDP’s Fayaz Mir and Sajjad Gani Lone, the PC chief. Abdullah has openly called Lone a BJP ‘proxy,’ a complaint that the PC main has denied.

Also Read: Lok Sabha elections 2024: Is this the extremity of INDIA bloc successful Kashmir? PDP & NC to contention against each different successful the valley

Similarly, successful Anantnag-Rajouri seat, wherever erstwhile main curate Mehbooba Mufti is up against NC’S Mian Altaf, Apni Party’s Zaffar Iqbal Manhas is being seen arsenic a proxy fielded by the the BJP.

NC person Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and PDP’s Waheed Parra are contesting against Apni Party’s Mohammad Ashraf Mir successful Srinagar seat.

The Apni Party, formed successful 2021 reportedly with the BJP’s ‘support’, and People’s Conference, often seen adjacent to the Centre, are supporting each different successful the contest. 

Both NC and PDP are INDIA bloc partners but person decided to contention elections to 3 Kashmir seats separately. The 2 parties supported Congress candidates successful some the seats of Jammu, though. The BJP’s determination to skip the electoral conflict successful Kashmir came aft the NC and the PDP decided to contention separately.

‘No unreserved for lotus to bloom successful the Valley’

Some reports suggest that the BJP has decided to enactment distant from nonstop contention successful Kashmir due to the fact that it wants the 2 determination parties – the NC and PDP – to contention against each different and frankincense hole crushed for Assembly Elections scheduled to beryllium held aboriginal this year. J&K has been administered by Lieutenant Governor (L-G), Centre’s appointee, since 2018.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a rally successful Srinagar successful March. The nationalist gathering was his archetypal successful Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 successful 2019, indicating BJP's preparations successful Kashmir.

But implicit the pursuing weeks, it became amply wide that BJP volition not tract candidates. It was the Union Home Minister Amit Shah who archetypal indicated, during a rally successful Jammu connected April 16, that the saffron enactment mightiness not contention successful Kashmir. He said that the enactment was ‘not successful a hurry’ to spot the lotus bloom successful the Valley. 

“We are not going to ‘conquer’ Kashmir arsenic projected by our adversaries. We privation to triumph each bosom successful Kashmir," he said successful the rally. Shah urged voters not to backmost the NC, the PDP oregon Congress candidates successful the contest.

BJP’s J&K main Ravinder Raina had called the party's determination to skip the predetermination was portion of a broader strategy. “Sometimes decisions are made to execute a large goal. The BJP would enactment 'patriotic' parties successful the Valley," Raina said successful a property league successful Jammu successful April.

Abdullah, successful an interrogation with Hindustan Times, called BJP’s determination ‘surprising’ since the BJP had fielded candidates before. “I tin recognize if they had not contested successful the Valley before. But, they contested each 3 seats successful 2019. Then, wherefore not successful 2024?" helium asked.

‘BJP’s anti-Muslim stand’

In 2019 wide elections, the BJP contested each the seats successful Jammu and Kashmir – winning 2 seats of Jammu and 1 of Ladakh, but each its candidates mislaid deposits successful the 3 Kashmir seats.

Also Read: Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Why should they fearfulness PM Modi? Abdul Salam, BJP's lone Muslim candidate

The crushed is overmuch deeper than what it looks, the erstwhile main curate said. One part, helium said, is the lack of immoderate enactment for them connected the crushed here." It is besides the information that putting up Muslim candidates present volition marque their anti-Muslim stance successful the remainder of the state a small hard to sell. And, you cannot enactment non-Muslim candidates successful the overwhelmingly Muslim bulk seats successful Kashmir," Abdullah said successful the interview.

‘BJP down the scenes’

The NC won each 3 seats successful the Kashmir part successful the 2019 elections. “The BJP tin question votes connected the abrogation of Article 370 elsewhere successful the country. But drumming up enactment connected the contented successful Kashmir is precise difficult," said a section trader successful downtown Srinagar, who does not privation to beryllium named.

Abdullah alleged that the BJP is contesting the predetermination successful Kashmir from down the scenes. “I americium categorical successful my assertion that the BJP whitethorn not person a awesome successful this election, but marque nary mistake they are precise overmuch portion of the predetermination process conscionable from down the scenes. They are propping up their proxies wherever they can. Otherwise, wherever was the request for the BJP’s J&K president to travel to northbound Kashmir and archer his workers that “we volition fto you cognize successful a fewer days arsenic to whom to support," helium told Hindustan Times.

Anantnag-Rajouri seat

While Srinagar and Baramulla are Muslim-dominated seats, galore had expected BJP to marque immoderate inroads successful Anantnag-Rajouri spot aft the summation of areas from Poonch and Rajouri regions of Jammu successful the seat, formerly known arsenic Anantnag.

In fact, it was the BJP, PC, Apni Party and Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party that had approached Election Commission seeking deferment of polls successful the spot from May 7 to May 25. Both NC and PDP had questioned the calls seeking deferment of polls.

Also Read: BJP utilized Article 370 arsenic governmental football, oregon wherefore would PM Modi beforehand a movie connected the topic: Omar Abdullah

In the run-up to Lok Sabha polls, the BJP cleared the request for preservation for the Pahari community, too. The assemblage has important numbers successful Anantnag-Rajouri. However, an interior appraisal by the BJP revealed that the enactment won’t get overmuch enactment successful the elections this time, and hence the determination to enactment retired of the fray, sources said.

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Published: 10 May 2024, 09:29 AM IST