Jammu: With 17.81 lakh voters at the helm, the fate of incumbent BJP MP Jugal Kishor Sharma and his formidable rival Congress candidate Raman Bhalla, hangs in the balance on Jammu-Reasi Lok Sabha seat which goes to poll in the second phase on April 26.
Sharma, who is seeking a third term, has been campaigning tirelessly, highlighting the BJP government’s progress report of the last 10 years related to development, infrastructure, and prosperity for the region.
In 2014, he won by a huge margin of 2.57 lakh votes which he further consolidated in 2019 when the winning margin was 3.02 lakh votes.
However, winning the polls will not be a cakewalk for the saffron party this time due to various factors, including rising unemployment and protests by different sections against the J&K administration. Protests were held against rising electricity bills in Jammu after the installation of smart meters in the past.
In the run-up to the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in January, the BJP galvanized support on the streets in the Hindu-majority Jammu, also known as the ‘city of temples’ to counter the anger.
Setting up a Tirupati Balaji temple amid the scenic Shivalik forests in Majeen, Jammu, and running direct fast trains to Katra, which houses the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, are some of the other decisions the saffron party has taken in recent times to win back Hindu votes.
Besides development works, the BJP has also been banking on giving reservations to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), women, Paharis, Valmikis and empowering oppressed, besides free ration, construction of houses under PM Awas Yojana, free health insurance of Rs five lakh to every individual and other such schemes.
On the other side of the spectrum stands Raman Bhalla, a Congress leader known for his grassroots activism and unwavering commitment to social justice. Bhalla's campaign focuses on governance issues while maintaining a meaningful distance from engaging in an ideological battle with the BJP.
He crisscrosses the constituency, addressing crowds in marketplaces and village squares, pledging to be the voice of the marginalized and the downtrodden. Bhalla is also drawing strength from the impact of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra at the start of 2023, which managed to attract crowds in Samba and Jammu districts despite being a BJP stronghold.
With regional heavyweights, National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP), backing him under a pact with the INDIA bloc, Bhalla is confident of an upset, in view of “resentment among the people over the wrong policies of the BJP-led government.”
As per the official figures, Jammu-Reasi seat has 17,81,545 voters including 9,21,462 males and 8,60,055 females. There are 28 transgender voters as well. Like four other Parliamentary constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu-Reasi seat is also based on 18 Assembly segments.
The seat has been won by Congress on nine occasions, BJP four times, and one each by National Conference and an independent candidate since its establishment in 1967.
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