Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 28: After a three-day tour of the PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti in the border district of Poonch to mobilize the support of Paharis, the BJP is going to devise a fresh strategy on the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.
Highly placed sources said that Jammu-based BJP leaders have asked the Poonch-based leaders to give feedback about the impact of Mehbooba Mufti’s tour in the Poonch district.
“BJP leadership is more worried over Mehbooba’s effort to reach out to the Pahari-speaking population in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri”, sources said and added that the BJP has already issued verbal directions to all its Pahari leaders to mobilize support for the Apni Party candidate Zafar Iqbal Manhas on this Parliamentary segment.
“Within a couple of days, the BJP would officially announce its support to the Apni Party candidate on the Poonch-Rajouri seat”, sources said, adding, “The party is also thinking about arranging meetings of senior leaders in Poonch and Rajouri districts to mobilize supp Jammu-based BJP leaders have asked leaders to give feedback about the impact of Mehbooba Mufti’s tour in the Poonch district.
BJP leadership is more worried over Mehbooba’s effort to reach out to the Pahari-speaking population in the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri.
BJP has already issued verbal directions to all its Pahari leaders to mobilize support for the Apni Party candidate Zafar Iqbal Manhas.
BJP will officially announce its support to the Apni Party candidate on the Poonch-Rajouri seat.
Notably, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has conducted an extensive tour of the Poonch district to muster support.
The Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency has become a hot seat among the five Parliamentary constituencies of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
During the Delimitation exercise, this seat was specially crafted to make the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri a deciding factor on the Anantnag-Rajouri segment. This Parliamentary segment became a prestigious constituency when the founder of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) Ghulam Nabi Azad announced to join the electoral battle against PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.
Although after assessing the ground situation, Azad could not muster the courage to join the electoral battle the seat is the focus of attraction due to the presence of Mehbooba Mufti.
Mehbooba Mufti is facing competition from the National Conference stalwart Mian Altaf and the Apni Party leader Zafar Iqbal Manhas. | 