Apni Party Backs
support to him,” Bukhari said.
He said the decision was taken keeping in mind the interests of the people of the Uri assembly segment.
“There is no personal interest. Neither does Mohiuddin have any personal interest, nor do I,” he added.
Bukhari said Mohiuddin is a tall leader and expressed hope that he would be elected to the assembly.
However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has withdrawn its support for Taj Mohiud-Din in the Uri constituency after the Apni Party extended its backing to him.
The PDP has announced that it will now field its own candidate for the upcoming elections in Uri.
PDP’s Mohammad Rafique Rather said that they are ideologically apart from the Apni Party.
“It became natural for us to withdraw support after the Apni Party announced its backing for him,” Rather said.
“In view of the Apni Party extending support to Taj Mohi-ud-Din in the Uri constituency, PDP has decided to withdraw its support and field its own candidate,” PDP wrote in a post on X.
Reacting to the PDP’s decision, Taj Mohi-udDin commented, “It was their decision to support me, and it is their decision to withdraw. I had already informed PDP during the press conference that the Apni Party was supporting me.”
Omar’s Bid to Keep the NC Flag Flying
Omar Abdullah, who at first declined to contest an Assembly election before statehood was restored is contesting simultaneously from Ganderbal and Budgam assembly segments. Omar is gearing up to ensure that the party’s dominance in Budgam remains unshaken. However, the battle is going to be harder than ever.
Syed Ghulam Hussain Gilani, a former MLA from Budgam, represented the segment four times in the assembly, In more recent years, Aga Ruhullah, a three-time legislator from Budgam (2002, 2008, and 2014), has played a significant role in cementing the NC’s influence in the region. However, obsevers’ say he has not been able to carry out much development in the last nearly two decades.
Omar is eyeing support from NC leaders like Ruhullah and Aga Mehmood, also from the same clan and his party’s traditional voter base in Sunni dominated localities. However, observers say this time around it is not going to be a cakewalk for the NC Vice-President.
Muntazir is banking on the influence of the Aga family name among Shia pockets of Budgam, combined with the PDP’s cadre in the district, to gain an upper hand over Omar Abdullah.
He is positioning himself as a leader who can bring change and address the needs of the people with a fresh perspective, challenging the status quo that has dominated the area for decades.
“I am someone who has been chosen by the people of Budgam to bring about positive changes in the Budgam district. I don’t want women on the streets, as long as I am there, I will fight for my people on the streets” Muntazir told a gathering in the village Kakarmaran.
Muntazir further said that I don’t want to see women on the streets either campaigning for him.
“On the day of voting women will come out in proper hijab, vote and return to their homes with dignity” he said as his supporters cheered. A Family Divided
Further complicating the contest is the candidacy of Muntazir’s uncle, Aga Syed Ahmad who is running for office on the Awami National Conference (ANC) ticket. Although not expected to win a significant share of the vote, his presence in the election is likely to add a new layer of complexity.
The ANC is expected to pull a few thousand votes, which could potentially disrupt the PDP’s and NC’s chances of securing a clear victory. This family split across different parties has made the Budgam election more unpredictable than ever.
The Vote Bank
The Shia votes are set to get divided with a major share of votes going to Muntazir, while Ruhullah and Aga Mehmood’s supporters may get divided since Mehmood was dropped at the last minute to give way for Omar.
Shia leader and Peoples Conference General Secretary’s Moulvi Imran Raza Ansari’s supporters are also expected to vote for Muntazir and give him an edge over his NC rival.
While Shia voters will play a major role, the Sunni vote bank which consists of the majority of voters in Budgam constituency will likely decide the new assembly member from Budgam.
While Omar Abdullah is striving to ensure his entry into the new legislative assembly from at least one of the two constituencies, Aga Muntazir seeks to dent the NC stranglehold over the Aga clan.