Across the Pir Panjals

The newly carved-out constituency of Anantnag-Rajouri is set to witness a very close contest

- Naseer Ganai

ONE of the most keenly watched Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir this time is Anantnag-Rajouri. The carving of this new seat—by the Delimitation Commission in May 2022—surprised everyone and many alleged that the BJP had come up with this idea to make inroads into the Kashmir Valley. Though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not contesting from this seat, there is speculation that the party may lend tactical support to the Apni Party’s candidate, Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, a Pahari from Shopian district of Kashmir.

The commission has included the Muslim-majority districts of Poonch and Rajouri from Jammu into Anantnag, with the exception of the Kalakote-Sunderbani assembly segment, which is Hindu-dominated. This decision seemed puzzling as these areas have distinct cultures, languages, and geography, and are separated by the formidable Pir Panjal mountain range.

So the real battle for this constituency is between the National Conference’s (NC) Mian Altaf, a prominent Gujjar leader, and the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti. Former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who declared his candidacy for the constituency, had initially brimmed with confidence. But like the BJP, he realised the challenges of making headway in this region, and took back his nomination.