Bandipora, Sep 30 (KNO): The Bandipora Assembly Constituency in north Kashmir is gearing up for a crucial electoral battle on October 1, featuring a close contest between former MLAs Usman Majid and Nizam-ud-din Bhat.
With a voter population of 116,326—comprising 59,483 males, 56,841 females, and 2 third-gender voters—144 polling stations have been set up, including 23 urban and 121 rural stations.
Usman Majid, who served as an MLA in 2002 and 2014, switched from Congress to the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party in 2020 after the abrogation of Article 370. He initially made his mark in 2002 by breaking the National Conference’s long-standing dominance in the constituency.
Bhat, a journalist turned politician, began his political career with the People's Conference, contesting the 1983 and 1987 elections from Bandipora. In the 1987 elections, he lost to an NC candidate by a narrow margin.
In 2021, Bhat ended his decades-long association with the PDP and joined the People's Conference until June 2024, when he switched to the Congress party. He is now contesting on an NC-Congress ticket in the constituency against his main rival Majid who is contesting as an independent.
Aside from independent candidate Bilkees Mir, who is the daughter-in-law of a senior NC leader, Bhat as per analysts is receiving strong support from the National Conference in the district. Omar Abdullah has even encouraged NC workers to back Bhat in Bandipora.
Meanwhile, observers did not overlook Majid's campaign within the constituency, indicating a head-to-head battle between him and Bhat.
Bhat defeated Majid in 2008 when Majid ran as an independent. However, Majid made a strong comeback in 2014, winning on a Congress ticket by a significant margin of 3,743 votes, reviving the party’s historical connection to the constituency.
PDP
People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Syed Tajamul, who lately launched his campaign, is considered by political analysts to be a significant vote cutter.
Analysts suggest that the PDP is struggling in the constituency, especially after the announcement of Tajamul as the candidate, which caused a rift within the party. Shareef udin Shah, the former zonal president, left the PDP and allied with Usman Majid.
The Jamat factor
Banned Jamaat-e-Islami-backed independent candidate Hafiz Mohammad Sikander Malik, who was the first electoral candidate in Jammu and Kashmir to file his nomination papers with a GPS tracker attached to his ankle, has recently gained momentum in his campaign as it enters its final days.
Malik, who believes his silent vote bank will largely support him, is also seen as a potential vote cutter in the assembly polls. Political observers note that his campaigning style suggests he has strong backing in certain areas, particularly in several smaller belts of Bandipora.
During his campaign, Malik urged voters to either support him once or not at all, appealing to the public to give him a chance to prove himself as an honest leader.
Mir Bilkees
Since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, former CMO Dr. Bilkees Mir has conducted significant free medical camps in the tribal areas of Bandipora, continuously gaining support from these communities.
Bilkees, the daughter-in-law of former MLA and senior NC leader Gulam Rasool Naaz, did not receive support from the National Conference (NC) in Bandipora after the party allocated the seat to Congress as part of an alliance in the district. Instead, the NC cadre backed Nizam-ud-Din Bhat.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Naseer Lone has struggled to make an impact during his campaign, with political analysts describing him as an unseen candidate in the district.
Furthermore, Gulam Mustafa Khan, a candidate from the Samajwadi Party, has been seen addressing small gatherings within the constituency since launching his campaign.
Syed Shafat Qazmi, currently at the helm of the Apni Party unit in Bandipora following Usman Majid's exit, is viewed by analysts as a notable vote-cutter. His influence spans many areas of the constituency, including remote regions, due to his prominence as a religious leader, positioning him as one of the key voter cutter—(KNO)