Congress finishes with 1 in Jammu, wiped out by BJP in the plains

The Congress contested 30 of Jammu’s 43 seats, including 4 wherever it was successful a affable contention with the NC. The lone spot it won was Rajouri (ST-reserved), wherever its campaigner Iftkar Ahmed scraped done by 1,404 votes, making it the party’s worst-ever show successful Jammu. It was the archetypal clip constituencies were reserved for STs successful J&K, and Ahmed defeated elder BJP person Vibodh Gupta.

The Congress had won 5 seats successful Jammu state successful the 2014 elections.

The Congress was seen arsenic having an borderline successful Jammu astatine the commencement of the canvass run owed to beardown anti-incumbency against the BJP implicit antithetic issues, including a emergence successful eviction drives and spot taxes, mounting up of toll plazas, arsenic good arsenic disappointment implicit the non-materialization of promised opportunities pursuing the abrogation of Article 370. There was besides resentment wrong the enactment ranks implicit dropping of galore elder leaders to pave mode for caller faces.

However, the Congress stumbled successful converting each these factors into votes, chiefly owed to its lacklustre run against the BJP’s assertive fightback crossed the region. Senior Congress leaders particularly Rahul Gandhi did not code a azygous rally successful Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur districts, which the BJP swept. Even state and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah commented connected the Congress’s nonaccomplishment to propulsion its value successful Jammu.

The Congress database besides got its caste calculations wrong. In a state wherever Brahmins and Mahajans are successful sizeable numbers, the enactment fielded lone 2 Brahmins, and nary Mahajan leader. Later, successful a harm power exercise, the enactment announced a Brahmin and Mahajan arsenic moving presidents, but it was excessively precocious by then.

There was besides resentment against the Congress implicit issues of Dogra certificate and colony of Rohingya. In 2011, erstwhile the Congress was successful powerfulness astatine the Centre, the benefits disposable lone to the Dogras during Army recruitment were extended to radical crossed the full of J&K. The Congress authorities is besides accused by galore of allowing colony of the Rohingya refugees.

The Congress leaders who mislaid successful Jammu included 2 of its moving presidents, a erstwhile authorities president and respective ministers. Among those who mislaid was Tara Chand, the Congress’s Dalit look and erstwhile lawman main minister, who came 3rd successful Chhamb. Congress rebel Satish Sharma won arsenic an Independent from here, defeating the BJP’s Rajeev Sharma, a erstwhile MLA, by 6,929 votes.

Other salient Congress leaders who mislaid oregon were trailing were moving president and erstwhile curate Raman Bhalla (R S Pura), ex-PCC main and erstwhile curate Vikar Rasool Wani (Banihal), two-time erstwhile MP Choudhary Lal Singh (Basohli), erstwhile ministers Manohar Lal Sharma (Billawar), Yogesh Sawhney (Jammu East), Mula Ram (Marh) and Mohd Shabir Khan (Thanamandi).

The NC contested 17 seats successful Jammu, including 5 wherever it was engaged successful a affable contention with the Congress. Of these, it won seven, including the 4 ST-reserved seats successful Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi district. It besides won Banihal, wherever it was successful a affable combat with erstwhile Congress J&K president Viqar Rasool Wani.

In 1 seat, Doda, the Aam Aadmi Party was the astonishment winner, with its campaigner Mehraj Malik defeating his BJP rival by implicit 4,538 votes. Malik is simply a fashionable section person and a District Development Council (DDC) member. The AAP had fielded 7 candidates crossed the Union Territory.

The Independent winners successful Jammu included Payare Lal Sharma, who won successful Inderwal, defeating seasoned person Gulam Mohammad Saroori, erstwhile person of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party, by a constrictive borderline of 643 votes.

In Bani, Rameshwar Singh defeated BJP campaigner and erstwhile MLA Jewan Lal by 2,048 votes, portion successful Surankote, NC rebel Choudhary Mohammad Akram, contesting arsenic an Independent, defeated Congress campaigner Mohammad Shahnawaz by 8,851 votes.

Of the 14 seats successful Jammu that the BJP lost, its biggest upset was successful Nowshera, wherever its J&K president and erstwhile MLA Ravinder Sharma mislaid to the National Conference’s (NC’s) Surinder Choudhary by 7,819 votes.

In Ramban, the BJP’s Rakesh Singh Thakur finished third, with the NC’s Arjun Singh Raju winning. A BJP rebel contesting arsenic an Independent, Suraj Singh Parihar, came 2nd here.

The BJP winners included Shagun Parihar, 29, its lone pistillate campaigner successful Jammu. Parihar, whose begetter and uncle were killed successful a panic attack, won from Kishtwar, defeating NC person and erstwhile curate Sajad Ahmed Kitchloo by 521 votes. Parihar attributed her triumph to “the nationalist radical of Jammu and Kashmir”.