J&K BJP chief reaches out to Anantnag voters

Our Correspondent

Srinagar, March 9

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Jammu and Kashmir president Ravinder Raina made a grand entrance on horseback, adorned in the traditional Kashmir attire of a pheran and a Kashmiri shawl draping his shoulders to a rally in South Kashmir.

Amidst the picturesque backdrop, Raina quoted from the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad and sought votes for the BJP. A hadith is a brief account of an activity or saying of Prophet Muhammad. Raina said that in the forthcoming term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, one representative should be Kashmir and he should be from the Rajouri-Anantnag constituency.

“This is now a foregone conclusion that the BJP would form the government in the Centre. If by mistake NC or the PDP wins from the Rajouri-Anantnag constituency, they will not be able to do anything. Only BJP would be benefiting people,” he said. He advocated for helping the poor and quoted a Hadith of Prophet Muhammad saying that everyone should have this sentiment to help the poor.

“Do you envision a BJP representative from Kashmir in the Parliament?” Raina posed the question, adding there is need for Kashmir’s inclusion in the Parliament as a BJP representative. Listing Anantnag and Kulgam districts and some other sub-districts, he said, “To ensure progress, your vote must resonate with the BJP.”

He said National Conference MP Hasnian Masoodi, who represents Anantnag, couldn’t effectively advocate for the interests of the constituency in the Lok Sabha. “You have also seen Mehbooba Mufti as a Parliament member. Give us one chance,” he said, adding that the poor would be given free electricity, free ration and also five marlas of land.

The genesis of the Rajouri-Anantnag constituency can be traced to what many deem a contentious decision by the Delimitation Commission in May 2022. This decision involved amalgamating the remote districts of Rajouri and Poonch from Jammu with the Anantnag and Kulgam regions of Kashmir, forming a unified parliamentary constituency with a predominantly Muslim population of 99 per cent.

Spanning across the imposing Pir Panjal mountain range, the Rajouri-Anantnag constituency encompasses 18 Assembly segments, representing a diverse electorate of about 1.4 million voters.

He said it is necessary to make the BJP win the polls. “If you make BJP win from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, it will be the centre for the development of the region,” he added.

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