BJP sweeps SC seats in Jammu, ST quota for Paharis bears no fruit

This would person travel arsenic a astonishment for the BJP arsenic the ST-reserved seats were created aft the abrogation of Article 370 successful J&K and the Centre had further accrued their ambit by including the Paharis – which marque up a bulk of the voters successful Poonch and Rajouri – among STs. However, the determination had angered the Gujjars, and this appears to person neutralised immoderate gains for the BJP.

“Gujjars consolidated down the Congress-NC combine, but adjacent a conception of the Paharis voted for them contempt being granted ST presumption (by the Centre),” a tribal researcher who did not privation to beryllium named said.

The NC’s Javaid Iqbal and Javed Ahmed Rana – some Gujjars – defeated the BJP’s Gujjar face, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali, and Murtaza Khan, a Pahari, from Budhal and Mendhar seats, respectively. The Congress’s Pahari look Iftkar Ahmed trumped the BJP’s Vibodh Gupta, besides a Pahari, successful the ST-reserved spot of Rajouri. This ended up being the lone spot won by the Congress successful full Jammu region.

Gulabgarh saw 2 Gujjars successful the fray, with the NC’s Khursheed Ahmed defeating the Apni Party’s Aijaz Ahmed Khan. The different 2 ST-reserved seats of Surankote and Thanamandi saw the triumph of NC rebels Chowdhary Mohammad Akram and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan – who contested arsenic Independents.