Community politics overshadows development in Poonch-Haveli
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Poonch, November 10
In the Poonch Haveli Assembly segment, development has been overshadowed by community politics. Here voters are divided on the basis of their “community” and community politics matters the most.

The Assembly segment of Poonch-Haveli which is going to polls in the first phase of elections on November 17 has a total of 96,758 registered voters. Of these, 49,642 are men and 47,116 women. The Election Commission (EC) has set up a total of 135 polling stations, as against 131 established in the 2002 elections.

The main contest here seems to be between Ajaz Ahmed Jan, son of NC leader and former MLA Ghulam Muhammad Jan and NC rebel-turned-Congress candidate and former MLC Choudhary Bashir Ahmed Naz, who joined the Congress after being denied a mandate by the NC. The PDP has fielded first timer Imtiyaz Ahmed Banday from here.

Others in the fray include former Congress district president (rebel) and Gujjar leader Muhammad Yunus Chouhan, contesting as SP’s candidate and Pradeep Sharma, contesting as BJP’s candidate.

There are roughly about 42 per cent Gujjars, 22 per cent Kashmiris, 5-6 per cent Muslim Rajputs, 14 per cent Hindus and Sikhs and rest from the other backward caste.

NC Candidate Ajaz Ahmed Jan, who originally hails from the Sawjian area, is popular in Mandi, Islamabad, parts of Loran and Poonch town. Jan is likely to get good number of votes from Kashmiris, Muslim Rajput and Sikh votes.

Congress candidate Bashir Naz, who hails from the Loran area, is a favourite among voters in his native area, Khanetar, Chandak, Khari and Karmara. Naz is likely to get votes from his own community and Sikh voters. Imtiyaz Ahmed Bandey from the Arai area, being supported by Yashpal Sharma, is popular in Poonch town.

BJP’s Pradeep Sharma is also likely to get most of the Hindu votes (over 4,000) because of the communal polarisation in the aftermath of the Amarnath land agitation. BJP’s former district president Muhammad Yunus Chouhan might manage to get the Gujjar votes.