Hazratbal Showdown: PDP's Naqash Faces NC's Sagar

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- In the lead-up to the upcoming assembly elections, Hazratbal constituency is set to witness a fierce contest between Asiea Naqash of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Salman Sagar of the National conference (NC). Although there are 13 candidates in fray for the assembly segment in north of Srinagar city, observers say, the main contest is going to be between arch rivals of NC and PDP.

Both candidates have ramped up their campaigns, but recent internal dissensions within the NC and changes in constituency boundaries after the delimitation exercise have added complexity to the political scenario.

Pertinently, the
Hazratbal Assembly Constituency
has
a voter population of 112541, among which 56,175 are males and 56366 are females and notably, no voters are registered under the third gender category in this constituency.

Senior NC Leader Denied Mandate

The National Conference faced internal
fights
after Mohammad Sayeed Akhoon, a senior party leader and former MLA, openly criticized the party's leadership. Akhoon accused NC leaders of sidelining experienced members in favor of promoting family ties. His comments have echoed a growing sentiment within the party, especially after he was denied the mandate to contest from Hazratbal.

Akhoon
said that the“dynastic favoritism,” within the party
pointing to examples such as Mian Altaf's son contesting in Kangan and Ali Mohammad Sagar's son, Salman Sagar, being given the
Hazratbal ticket. Akhoon said
this trend is detrimental to the party's growth and suggested that his exclusion would lead to further unrest among party members.

The former MLA also
said
that he had approached NC vice-president Omar Abdullah with concerns over the strong candidacy of Asiea Naqash from the PDP. He believed that he was the best choice to challenge her. However, after an initial discussion, Akhoon says he was never consulted again, adding fuel to his discontent.

Exclusion Of Mir Behri Dal

The political dynamics in Hazratbal have also been reshaped by the exclusion of Mir Behri Dal, a locality known for its considerable Shia voter base, from the constituency after the recent delimitation exercise. Mir Behri Dal has now been added to the Zadibal constituency, which changes the electoral composition of Hazratbal.

Asiea Naqash spoke
to Kashmir Observer
about the significant changes post-delimitation. She
said that the constituency has expanded, adding areas such as Lal Bazar and Fakir Gujri, while some key regions like Hazratbal and Dhobi Ghat have been excluded.

“This
shift could benefit certain political parties, hinting at a behind-the-scenes alignment between these parties and the delimitation commission, Asiea said. She expressed concern that this could lead to an unfair advantage in the forthcoming assembly elections

In the last few weeks the PDP also got a major boost when
Saleem Lone, an ex-counselor from the NC,
joined the
PDP along with hundreds of his supporters.

On the other hand, Salman Sagar is focusing his campaign on promises of development, expressing his intent not only to contest this election but also to become a long-term representative.
He assures voters that development will be at the forefront of his agenda if elected.

Pertinently, the Hazratbal constituency has historically been a stronghold of the National Conference, with elected representatives from the party holding the seat consistently from 1977 to 2009.

For over three decades, the NC dominated the political landscape of Hazratbal, securing the trust of the electorate through successive elections. However, in a significant political shift during the 2014 assembly elections, this long-standing trend was broken when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asiea Naqash, emerged victorious.

It marked the first time in the constituency's history that a candidate from the PDP won the seat, signaling a major change in the political
choices of Hazratbal.

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