Srinagar Lok Sabha: NC turf to witness three-way contest

As Srinagar will go to the polls on Monday amid tight security, the National Conference (NC) will try to retain this seat, though the party is facing a tough challenge from the Apni Party and the PDP this time.

The Srinagar Lok Sabha seat spread over five districts, Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Pulwama and Shopian with 21 assembly segments have an electorate of over 17 lakh voters. After delimitation, several areas of Pulwama and Shopian that were part of Anantnag Lok Sabha seat have been included in the parliamentary constituency, which is still considered the bastion of the National Conference, however, over the years other parties have started making inroads into the NC vote bank.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, NC president Farooq Abdullah won from Srinagar, which witnessed a dismal polling figure of 14.4%. He defeated the PDP candidate.

This time, the NC has given the ticket to one of its younger leaders, Aga Ruhullah, a former cabinet minister and a Shia cleric.

Ruhullah, who belongs to an influential Shia clan (Aghas) that hails from Budgam, has been a vocal critic of the abrogation of Article 370. The Abdullahs are actively campaigning for Ruhullah, with additional support from the Congress and the Awami National Conference. The constituency is an NC stronghold, with a string of victories going back to 1998, with the only exception in 2014, where PDP candidate, Tariq Hameed Karra won from the seat.

After decades, the Srinagar city not only saw a high decibel campaign but also night campaign which has been missing since the emergence of militancy in J&K. With no boycott call this time, the political analysts say there could be good turnout in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency compared to previous years.

The PDP, this time, is banking on the president of its youth wing, Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra. The former secretary of the state sports council, Parra is trying to strike a chord with local youths by highlighting his three-year incarceration after he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2020 in two terror cases. Parra’s focus is on the development of power projects and for the empowerment of people. He has been focusing on youth empowerment and wants more and more youth-oriented programmes. Parra’s campaign has been full of energy.

Apni Party (AP) led by J&K’s former education minister Altaf Bukhari has fielded former minister, Mohammad Ashraf Mir for the Srinagar seat, backed by the PC. AP, which was established soon after the abrogation of Article 370 when dozens of former legislators left the PDP to form a new political party, is focused on the restoration of statehood, land rights and generating employment. This election will determine whether the party leadership has managed to win some goodwill. “After many years we are witnessing a lively campaign of political parties not only in Srinagar but also in rural areas. Even candidates are seeking votes by going door to door and this time there is no boycott call so the turnout could be higher compared to previous elections,” said Mohammad Shafi Khan of the old city.

Another local, Irfan Ahmad, termed the election tough. “It’s a triangular contest in Srinagar between NC, PDP and the Apni Party. It’s going to be a close call in this constituency,” he said.