South Kashmir's Electoral Showdown Today: Bijbehara, Kulgam, And Tral Take Centre Stage

As South Kashmir prepares to vote today, candidates are experiencing a mix of relief and regret. While many are satisfied with their poll campaign, there is a shared sentiment that more time would have been beneficial for mobilising voters.

The BJP’s on-the-ground presence in South Kashmir remains minimal. Despite this, the party remained in the discourse as leaders from the National Conference, People's Democratic Party, CPI-M, and Awami Ittehad Party attacked the BJP over the abrogation of Article 370.

People’s Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah campaigned across various constituencies. Though they were critical of one another, all political leaders also directed their attacks at the BJP. In fact, the campaign saw a fierce battle among all parties to assert their distance from the BJP, though both NC and PDP have allied with the BJP at the national or state level previously. Now, each party positioned itself as the furthest from the BJP, while portraying rivals as its agents.

Among the key constituencies going to the polls today, Bijebhara stands out with Iltija Mufti, daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, contesting against Dr. Syed Bashir Veeray of the National Conference.

“It was different as I was seeking votes myself. When I campaigned for my mother during the parliamentary polls, people knew her. I had only three weeks to go to Bijbehara and make people understand I am not an outsider; I am one of them. That is why I consistently said I am your daughter and your sister, as I didn’t want them to think I came from a position of privilege,” Iltija told Outlook.

“It was difficult in its own way. My mother was always seen with the people. For me, even the workers had this question in their mind: whether she would recognise us if she wins tomorrow,” Iltija added.

“It is not only my constituency that is important for our party. I think every constituency is important for us. We know every seat is going to count,” she said.  “It is going to be a very fractured mandate. We don’t see any single party coming up with a decisive mandate. At the end of the day, it will be a coalition that will have to be formed.”

However, she said, for her, there was pressure as Bijbehara was her grandfather’s (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) hometown. “It is the constituency where my mother first fought and won. So I had that pressure,” she said.  She said Bijbehara is important because it is in South Kashmir, which has remained a bastion of the PDP. 

In Kulgam, the contest is between CPI-M candidate M Y Tarigami and Jamaat-e-Islami-backed candidate Sayar Ahmad Reshi. Tral, known as the hometown of militant commander Burhan Wani, would be keenly watched.

On Sunday, Awami Ittehad Party head and MP Engineer Rashid, currently out on bail, held a major rally in Tral in support of the party's candidate Dr. Harbaksh Singh, a former PDP member. Dr Singh has high hopes after Sunday’s rally where thousands of youth participated.

More than 23.27 lakh voters, including 5.66 lakh youths, are eligible to exercise their vote during Phase-I of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Election being held today across 24 Assembly Constituencies in 7 districts of Jammu & Kashmir.

“As per the latest data of electoral rolls available, there is a total of 23,27,543 lakh voters, who are eligible to vote during the Phase 1 of the J&K Assembly. Out of them, there are 11,76,441 male voters and 11,51,042 female voters along with 60 Third Gender Electors,” a government official said.

The 5.66 lakh young electors are between the age 18-29 and include 1,23,922 first time voters between the age of 18-19 years, with 65542 of them male and 58380 female electors. In Kashmir, 16 Assembly constituencies are going to the polls, including Pampore, Tral, Pulwama, Rajpora, Zainapora, Shopian, DH Pora, Kulgam, Devsar, Dooru, Kokernag (ST), Anantnag West, Anantnag, Srigufwara-Bijbehara, Shangus-Anantnag East, Pahalgam; whereas in Jammu, eight constituencies including, Inderwal, Kishtwar, Padder-Nagseni, Bhadarwah, Doda, Doda West, Ramban and Banihal will go to the polls.

During the election campaign in Kulgam, rallies and ideological debates between the CPI-M and Jamaat-e-Islami candidates dominated, with speeches centred on religion, politics, and their respective roles in the militancy. While the CPI-M accused the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed candidate of being from a party that in the past was instrumental in getting “people killed for casting vote,” the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate in his electoral speeches insisted that the CPI-M has remained a beneficiary of the poll boycott for long. The CPI-M leaders, however, say they have been winning as they ensured development in the constituency. Tarigami in his speeches talked about developmental works carried out in the constituency by him and also stressed on co-existence and brotherhood.

"I appeal to the people to vote in large number. It is crucial for Kashmir that voters come out in good numbers to make their voices heard,” Tarigami told Outlook. “I hope to secure a win with a significant margin.”

Jamaat-backed independent candidate Aijaz Ahmad Mir from Zainapora constituency in Shopian district said that he expected people would come out to vote in good numbers. Mir, who was with Engineer Rashid on Monday evening, said though they got less time to campaign, the results would be in his favour. Engineer Rashid has entered into an alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami. Rashid announced the alliance on Sunday at huge rally in Tral.