Anantnag-Rajouri has seen a change in dynamics following delimitation, inclusion of Gujjar- and Pahari-dominated belts
The Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) on Tuesday announced that its president Ghulam Nabi Azad will be contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency.
The former Congress veteran and ex-J&K chief minister will be contesting his first election since he founded the DPAP in September 2022, after splitting from the Congress. Azad belongs to Doda district in the Jammu province, and the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, which votes on May 7, falls largely on the Kashmir side.
The DPAP recently held talks with two local parties – Altaf Bukhari’s J&K Apni Party and the Sajad Lone-led J&K Peoples Conference – to explore the possibility of an alliance. Sources said that while the Apni Party and Peoples Conference, which are both Kashmir-based, are expected to go ahead with the tie-up, the DPAP won’t be a part of it.
Azad will face a tough contest in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, despite the demographic changes in it following delimitation, leading to the inclusion of Gujjar- and Pahari-dominated belts of Poonch and Rajouri areas in Jammu province into the constituency.
The National Conference has already announced its Gujjar face Mian Altaf Lahrvi as its candidate from the seat, ignoring the appeals of its INDIA partners Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Congress to leave the constituency for the PDP.
While the PDP has not yet named anyone for the seat, its chief Mehbooba Mufti is expected to be the party candidate from here.
J&K’s five parliamentary constituencies are going to polls in five phases, beginning with Udhampur (April 19), followed by Jammu (April 26), Anantnag-Rajouri (May 7), Srinagar (May 13), and Baramulla (May 20).
A veteran politician, Azad was a Minister of Parliamentary Affairs in the Manmohan Singh government. He served as J&K CM between 2005 and 2008 as part of a coalition government with the PDP. His last Rajya Sabha tenure ended in 2021, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others giving him a warm farewell.
After a long innings in the Congress, Azad’s departure from the party was acrimonious, with the senior leader lashing out at the high command.
