Sensing defeat, BJP opts out of election contest in Kashmir Valley
Srinagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided not to field any candidates in the upcoming so-called elections, leaving the electoral battle open between the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), at least for now, in the Islamabad-Rajouri constituency.
This decision was indicated last week during Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s rally in Jammu, where he urged voters in Kashmir (IIOJK) to vote against the NC and PDP.
Instead of fielding its own candidate, the BJP announced on Friday that it will support a candidate of their choice.
This move reflects the strong public resentment against the BJP, not only in the Kashmir Valley but also in the Jammu province.
The Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, which spans across the two divisions, was created during the 2022 delimitation exercise carried out in Jammu and Kashmir. All political parties, except the BJP, criticized this move, stating that it was intended to disrupt the Kashmiri homogeneity and favor the BJP. There were also speculations that the BJP would aim to attract a portion of the Pahari community, who were recently granted Scheduled Tribe status, and add them to their Hindu voter base in Rajouri-Poonch, as well as the sizable Kashmiri migrant vote in Islamabad(Anantnag).
Former IIOJK chief minister Omar Abdullah criticized the BJP for not directly contesting in the three IIOJK seats, suggesting that they are supporting “proxies” like the Peoples Conference and Apni Party.
Abdullah stated that this decision reveals the party’s failure, along with its government, to win over the hearts of the people after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
“In 2019, the BJP contested all seats, but now the Home Minister says they will first win people’s hearts before fielding candidates,” Abdullah remarked. He alleged that the 2019 decisions have angered and alienated the public, resulting in the BJP’s inability to garner support.
Although the BJP is not directly contesting in the Kashmir valley, Abdullah accused the party of exerting influence from behind the scenes, claiming that the BJP was backing Sajad Lone’s Peoples Conference and Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party.
