Mehbooba Mufti Concedes Defeat In Anantnag-Rajouri: Report
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti conceded defeat in Anantnag-Rajouri. On social media, she wrote, “respecting the verdict of the people.”
As per the latest Election Commission report, Mehbooba Mufti is trailing by a margin of 256515 votes in Anantnag-Rajouri constituency. National Conference (NC) leader Mian Altaf Ahmad is in leads and has received 4,92,213 votes so far.
“Respecting the verdict of the people I thank my PDP workers & leaders for their hard work & support despite all the odds. My deepest gratitude to the people who voted for me. Winning & losing is part of the game & wont deter us from our path. Congratulations to Mian sahab for his victory,” Mufti wrote on X.
Respecting the verdict of the people I thank my PDP workers & leaders for their hard work & support despite all the odds. My deepest gratitude to the people who voted for me. Winning & losing is part of the game & wont deter us from our path. Congratulations to Mian sahab for his…
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) June 4, 2024
In the first election after the abrogation of Article 370, the constituency has witnessed a three-way contest with Mehbooba Mufti, Mian Altaf, and Apni Party’s Zafar Manhas in the poll fray. The Anantnag-Rajouri of Jammu and Kashmir is a newly carved parliamentary constituency after 2022 delimitation.
Though the region once held the stature of a stronghold of Muftis and the PDP, the drastic fall in the influence of the party was observed after the collapse of the coalition government with the BJP in June 2018. Mufti”s popularity also waned when her party engaged in an alliance with the BJP in 2014. Besides, her handling of the 2016 agitation and subsequent unrest has also invited huge criticism.
Mehbooba Mufti represented Anantnag in the 14th Lok Sabha and the 16th Lok Sabha. She was the first female chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. In June 2018, she resigned from the post following the BJP”s withdrawal of support for the coalition government. To win back people”s support for the party”s alliance with the BJP, Mufti is unleashing harsh criticism on the Centre”s abrogation of Article 370.
Though Anantnag was Mufti”s home turf, following delimitation, it now comprises large parts of Jammu’s Poonch and Rajouri districts. Both districts—Poonch and Rajouri—maintain large populations of Gujjars, Bakerwals, and Paharis. Corresponding vote banks led parties to revise their strategies. The NC’s Altaf is a Gujjar leader holding influence in Poonch and Rajouri districts, while the Apni Party’s Manhas is a Pahari leader.
