Inderwal Constituency: A Multi-Cornered Contest
The Inderwal assembly segment is the biggest constituency in the Kishtwar district and considered one of the most difficult seats in the Chenab valley. After the 2022 delimitation exercise, Marwah and Warwan—areas earlier part of Kishtwar constituency—also became part of Inderwal.
Inderwal is witnessing a multi-cornered contest where nine candidates include Sheikh Zafarullah (Congress), Tariq Hussain Keen (BJP), Ghulam Muhammad Saroori (independent), Pyare Lal Sharma (independent), Sheikh Nasir Hussain (PDP), Ashiq Hussain (J&K Apni Party), Salman Nisar (BSP), Salman Rabbani (independent) and Imtiyaz Bashir (independent) are in the poll fray.
As per the local media reports, a tough competition is expected between Congress, BJP and two independent candidates including Ghulam Muhammad Saroori and Pyare Lal Sharma.
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Since Congress and National Conference (NC) are in pre-poll alliance, they have chosen Congress leader Sheikh Zafarullah as their candidate for the Inderwal seat. He is a member of District Development Council in Marwah. Hailing from Marwah, Zafarullah enjoys strong support base in Marwah and Waran areas. There are expectations that, being a Congress candidate, party votes will also aid in his favour.
BJP candidate Tariq Hussain Keen serves as the State Secretary for the party. In the 2014 Assembly election, he contested unsuccessfully from the Inderwal assembly segment and lost to then Congress candidate and former minister Ghulam Mohammad Saroori (GM Saroori), by a margin of 12,370 votes.
Meanwhile, Saroori, vice president of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) is contesting as an independent candidate. Former Congress leader represented the Inderwal seat three consecutive terms – 2002, 2008 and 2014 on a party ticket. In 2008, he was appointed as the Minister of State and has handled multiple departments including Tourism, Forest, School Education, Social Welfare, Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution. He has also served as a vice-president for the state unit of the Congress in 2015.
In 2022, along with seven leaders, he quit Congress to join Ghulam Nabi Azad’s DPAP. In the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year, Saroori fielded from Udhampur constituency on a DPAP ticket and lost. In the upcoming polls, after being denied ticket, Saroori submitted nomination as an independent candidate without snapping ties with the party. He said people of the constituency urged him to contest in polls. “I am ready to contest. The mandate belongs to the people, not anyone else,” Daily Excelsior quotes as Saroori is saying.
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Pyare Lal Sharma, National Conference rebel is another strong candidate. He is known for the social service initiatives and hopes that the work done in the past would favour in the polls.
The Inderwal constituency along with 23 other assembly segments in Jammu and Kashmir will go to booths on September 18.
