Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 23: The newly carved-out Anantnag-Rajouri-Poonch Lok Sabha seat has become a bone of contention among constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) blocks in Jammu and Kashmir.
Three main constituents of the INDIA block in J&K namely the National Conference, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Congress are staking claims on this seat.
The National Conference had won this seat in the 2019 general elections so the party is not ready to leave this constituency.
During recent meetings the NC leaders have ruled out leaving this seat because the party has won this seat in the previous election.
As the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri of Jammu province have been incorporated with this Parliamentary segment after fresh delimitation, Congress is also staking a claim on this seat because the party had secured maximum votes from these two districts in the last Lok Sabha elections.
During the 2019 Lok Three main constituents of the INDIA block NC, PDP and Congress are staking claims on this seat.
NC won this seat in 2019 so the party is not ready to leave this constituency.
This seat was won by the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 1998. It was won by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti twice in 2004 and 2014.
In South Kashmir PDP has high stakes.
PDP is also staking its claim on the Anantnag Parliamentary constituency comprising parts of south Kashmir which is a stronghold of the party.
This seat was won by the late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 1998. This Lok Sabha seat was won by PDP president Mehbooba Mufti twice in 2004 and 2014.
Secondly, this Parliamentary constituency comprised south Kashmir where PDP has high stakes.
As reported earlier within days after the National Conference staked its claim on the majority of the Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress launched a counterattack on its coalition partner by arranging a meeting to chalk out a strategy for the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary seat.
General Secretary of the National Conference Ali Mohammad Sagar has ruled out giving any of the three Lok Sabha seats of the Kashmir Valley to the constituents INDIA block. | 