The Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, which initially appeared to be a one-way battle for the Bhartiya Janata Party, with the ruling party nominating Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh once again, now seems poised for a competitive contest following Choudhary Lal Singh’s decision to join the Congress on Wednesday in New Delhi.
Sources within the Congress party revealed to The Kashmiriyat that the party is contemplating nominating former minister and Dogra Swabhimaan Sangthan chairman Choudhary Lal Singh to run for the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency on a Congress ticket.
“Although no final decision has been reached, discussions are underway, President of Congress for Jammu Kashmir, Vikar Rasool Wani has strongly recommended Choudhary Lal Singh’s candidacy to the party high command. The final decision lies with the Congress Working Committee,” they said.
Vikar Rasool’s decision appears to be closely aligned with discussions among members of the Gujjar and Bakerwal community, which wield significant influence over at least 15 out of the 18 assembly segments encompassing the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat.
Chaudhary Lal Singh secured victory in the Lok Sabha elections from the Udhampur seat twice, first in 2004 and then in 2009, representing the Indian National Congress. Dr. Jitendra Singh, on the other hand, has been victorious twice, winning in 2014 and again in 2019.
Lal Singh distanced himself from the party after the Congress in 2014 and joined the BJP. In 2018, he protested against the arrest of the accused in the horrific Asifa rape case. However, he faced pressure from Mehbooba Mufti, the then Chief Minister, leading to his resignation from the position of cabinet minister. Subsequently, he departed from the BJP.
Experts familiar with the political landscape of the region believe that Lal Singh’s candidacy could significantly benefit the Congress party. Zahid Parwaz, who has been campaigning for the Gujjar Bakerwal rights for over five years in these tribal areas spoke to The Kashmiriyat and said that Lal Singh enjoys a great support in the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, however, he lost the seat in 2019 as he was not affiliated to any party. “The notion was that people would waste their votes, if they vote for Chaudhary Lal Singh since he was not affiliated to any central party. Plus the anger against him was so fresh and palpable that he could not garner support,” expressed Zahid.
“However,” Zahid believes, “things have changed drastically since. He is undoubtedly one of the most popular leaders among the Dogras, and it is expected that the anti-incumbency vote from the Muslim community will also gravitate towards him.” The only factor that could cut some of his votes is Ghulam Mohammed Saroori, who has been filed as a candidate by Ghulam Nabi Azad’s DPAD.
The Bhartiya Janta Party has so far Dr. Jitendra Singh and sitting MP Jugal Kishore Sharma as candidates for Udhampur and Jammu parliamentary seats, respectively. Dr. Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma have been nominated for the third consecutive elections since 2014.
Congress in 2014 after the party fielded Ghulam Nabi Azad from the Udhampur seat, which Azad lost to Dr. Jitendra Singh of the BJP amidst a significant “Modi wave”. Dr. Singh secured 4,87,369 votes compared to Azad’s 4,26,393 votes.
Though Jammu has faced numerous protests against the imposition of smart meters and for various other reasons. This is unlikely to impact BJP’s electoral prospects. “Dr. Jitendra Singh enjoys extensive support in Udhampur. It’s widely believed that nobody can defeat him. However, Choudhary Lal Singh is seen as the sole leader capable of challenging the BJP’s dominance in Udhampur, particularly given its predominantly Rajput population,” said Zahid.
It’s noteworthy that Choudhary Lal Singh, a two-time MP from Udhampur and a three-time MLA from Basohli, was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate in November last year in relation to an alleged money laundering case involving the RB Educational Trust, overseen by his wife Kanta Andotra.
In the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, Lal Singh clinched victory in the Udhampur seat by defeating the incumbent Union Minister and BJP stalwart Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, who had previously won Udhampur three times on the BJP’s ticket.
While Lal Singh’s advocacy for the Asifa rape accused continues to linger, many contend that the BJP’s perceived anti-Muslim stance outweighs the impact of Singh’s protests.