BJP happy as opposition vote gets divided in Udhampur; but faces tough fight from Congress in Jammu
Deccan ChronicleJammu: “I want development in my area. However, all the indications are that anti-incumbency and anti-BJP vote in Udhampur constituency which went to the polls in the first of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections has split between Congress candidate Chaudhary Lal Singh and Democratic Progressive Azad Party nominee Ghulam Muhammad Saroori. Also, low voter turnout recorded in predominantly Muslim Assembly segments and purported Congress bastions compared to those of the BJP has made the saffron party hopeful of winning this seat with a huge victory margin. On the other hand, even though the Congress has been mindful of the resentment in the conformist vote bank among the Muslims over its picking up as its candidate someone who had sided with the perpetrators of the gangrape and murder of an 8-year-old nomadic Gujjar girl that took place in the constituency’s Kathua district in 2018, it hopes it has been able to crash in on it in both Udhampur and Jammu constituencies with the support of the National Conference. Both the Congress and NC expect the Gujjar vote which can drive the results in many Assembly segments in, at least, two of the five J&K Lok Sabha constituencies can sway in their favour.