(Devsar) Kulgam, Sep 06 (KNO): As Jammu and Kashmir prepares for its assembly election, the Devsar constituency is shaping up to be a key battleground, with a triangular contest between National Conference (NC), People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP).
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a total of eleven candidates submitted their nominations. However, after scrutiny, one candidate's nomination was rejected, and another candidate withdrew voluntarily, leaving nine contenders in the fray.
The main players include Mehbooba Mufti’s maternal uncle, Sartaj Madni (PDP), Amanullah Mantoo of Indian National Congress (INC), Mohammad Amin Bhat of DPAP and Peerzada Feroze Ahmad, nephew of Ghulam Ahmad Shah, who previously represented Devsar three times. Awami Ittihad Party's Dr Suhail Ahmad Bhat is also making his political debut.
As the area is going to polls on September 18 in the first phase, the campaigning has started, with rallies taking place in areas like Qaimoh, Frisal and Khudwani, which were previously infamous for stone-pelting and shutdowns.
The Devsar constituency, officially known as 40-Devsar AC, has 112,381 registered voters, including 56,199 males, 56,175 females, and 7 transgender voters. A total of 127 polling stations have been established across the constituency.
The constituency witnessed the highest voter turnout in 1983 at 81.86%, followed by 79.38% in 1977 and 77.85% in 1987, while the lowest turnout was 35.56% in 2002.
Political analysts believe that the alliance between the NC and Congress which led to a "friendly" contest in the Devsar constituency between the two parties, could ultimately benefit the PDP due to the division of votes.
They said this is a political debut (first election) for the alliance candidates of NC and Congress, while Sartaj Madni is a senior politician who has represented Devsar twice before and is seen as a strong contender due to his long political career and local influence.
Experts, however, said that it is still too early to predict a clear winner, particularly due to the recent delimitation changes in the constituency. "With no voting in the past ten years, some areas have been added, while others have been eliminated, adding an element of uncertainty to the outcome," they said.
Historically, Devsar has seen a mix of political representation. Abdul Aziz Zargar (JKNC) was elected unopposed in 1962, followed by M N Koul of the Indian National Congress in 1967. Since then, leaders like Ghulam Hassan Parry, Ghulam Nabi Kochak, and Ghulam Ahmad Shah have held the seat. Sartaj Madni secured victories in 2002 and 2008, while Mohammad Amin Bhat, who is now with DPAP, won in 2014—(KNO)