Multi-cornered contest on 4 seats in Udhampur

Udhampur district is set to witness a fierce multi-cornered contest between the BJP, the Congress, and J&K National Panthers Party (JKNPP). There are four assembly seats in the district—Udhampur West, Udhampur East, Chenani, and Ramnagar, which is a reserved constituency.

While BJP candidate and former minister Pawan Kumar Gupta is fighting to retain the traditional Udhampur West seat that his family has won three times in nine elections, party candidate and former MLA RS Pathania is facing rebellion from Pawan Khajuria and Balwan Singh as independents to win the new Udhampur East seat.

The Chenani constituency has become a hotbed of family rivalry, with cousins Balwant Singh Mankotia, a two-time former MLA and BJP candidate, and Harshdev Singh, a prominent JKNPP leader and three-time MLA from Ramnagar, vying for the seat.

In Udhampur West, Gupta is facing a two-front battle against Congress nominee Sumeet Magotra and independent candidate Jasvir Singh, a District Development Council member from Panchari. “Though he has a direct contest with the Congress candidate, Jasvir Singh may split votes, making Gupta’s path more difficult,” said Sumesh Kumar, a local voter.

“We will win this seat and others in the district. We secured three seats last time, and this time, we aim to win all four, including the newly carved-out seat. Our goal is to form a government that represents the people of Jammu region,” Gupta said.

Congress’ Magotra countered, “People are fed up with the BJP and their governance from New Delhi. They want change and are backing the Congress. This time, an alliance government will be formed in J&K.” The Congress has won Udhampur West three times, while the JKNPP twice. For the BJP, this election is a litmus test.

In Udhampur East, the rebellion in the BJP has added new excitement to the race. Pawan Khajuria, who finished third in the last election as BJP candidate, is running as an independent after being denied a ticket. “The rebellion within BJP is a significant challenge for Pathania,” said Vikas Kumar, a political observer.

“Former Block Development Council chairman Balwan Singh, unhappy with BJP’s decision, has joined Panthers Party India and is contesting as well. National Conference’s Sunil Verma and PDP’s Bakeel Singh are making the contest tougher,” Vikas Kumar said.

In Chenani, the rivalry between cousins Balwant Singh Mankotia (BJP) and Harshdev Singh (JKNPP) has captured the attention of voters. Harshdev Singh, supported by Congress and NC, said the people are fed up with the BJP rule. “We will win this seat, the people want a change,” he said.

Mankotia, however, is confident of victory, citing strong support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development agenda. Chenani seat has seen Congress victory five times and BJP twice, and NC and JKNPP once each. An independent candidate has also won the seat once.

In Ramnagar, the SC-reserved seat, has shifted political dynamics. BJP’s Sunil Bhardwaj, Congress’ Mool Raj, and Panthers Party India’s Arshi Devi are locked in a triangular contest.