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Former Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal (Photo: PTI)
Mehraj Malik of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), who secured his party’s first-ever victory in Jammu and Kashmir’s local body elections in December 2020, is now leading the race for the Doda legislative seat with a vote margin of 4,770. This comes as votes are being counted for the first J&K Assembly elections in ten years.
As per Election Commission data at 1:30 pm, Malik had a nearly 5,000-vote lead over the BJP’s Gajay Singh Rana and was ahead of the National Conference’s Khalid Najib Suharwardy by almost 10,000 votes.
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The Doda seat, won by BJP’s Shakti Raj in 2014, has historically alternated between the National Conference and the Congress since the first election in 1962.
AAP’s strong showing in J&K has surprised many, especially considering its recent poor performance in Haryana, the home state of party leader Arvind Kejriwal. If the Haryana results continue in this trend, it could spell a significant setback for Kejriwal ahead of the Delhi elections, which are just four months away.
The Haryana outcome also holds importance due to AAP’s inability to finalise a seat-sharing deal with the Congress, its national ally under the INDIA bloc. Despite nearing an agreement, state-level leaders on both sides rejected a deal suggested by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has consistently advocated for opposition unity.
Meanwhile, in J&K, Malik’s lead comes in a region that has witnessed a series of terror attacks in recent months. In August, an Army Captain was killed in an encounter with terrorists in Doda’s Assar area, and a civilian was injured. Earlier in July, J&K Police launched a major offensive against terror networks following a deadly encounter in Doda, which claimed the lives of four Army personnel, including an officer.
Doda is also where Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off the BJP’s election campaign in Jammu and Kashmir. His visit last month marked the first time a sitting Prime Minister had visited the region in over 40 years. Security measures were heightened across Doda and Kishtwar in anticipation of Modi’s visit, with multi-layered protection in place.
The strong performance by the AAP candidate stands out in an election largely dominated by the National Conference-Congress alliance, which currently leads in over 52 of the 90 Assembly seats. The BJP, which has never governed J&K on its own, trails with 27 leads.
Exit polls had predicted a slight advantage for the Congress-NC alliance. A compilation of three exit polls suggested the alliance would win 43 seats, the BJP 26, and the PDP between four and 12 seats.
First Published: Oct 08 2024 | 2:31 PM IST
