Spread over three districts of Srinagar, Budgam and Ganderbal, the Srinagar Parliamentary seat is one of the six parliamentary seats that are going to polls in this restive northern state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Comprising of 15 assembly segments, the Srinagar parliamentary constituency – according to data released by Chief Electoral Officer – has 12,95,304 registered voters, including 667,252 male, 627,282 female, 744 service voters (728 male and 16 female) and 26 transgender.
Among the 15 assembly segments, district Srinagar comprises the highest eight segments namely Hazratbal, Zadibad, Eidgah, Khanyar, Habba Kadal, Amira Kadal, Sonawar, Batamaloo, while district Budgam has five assembly segments namely Chadoora, Budgam, Beerwah, Khan Sahib and Charar-i-Sharif. Ganderbal district has two assembly segments of Kangan and Ganderbal.
Srinagar seat will see an interesting battle between the former chief minister and political stalwart Dr Farooq Abdullah of National Conference and first-timers Irfan Raza Ansari of People’s Conference and Syed Aga Mohsin of People’s Democratic Party among others, with poll analysts favouring Dr Abdullah to bag the coveted Parliamentary seat.
The Srinagar parliamentary constituency has always played a key role in national politics as it sends representative from the state’s capital, the seat of power, to the Lok Sabha, besides being a politically volatile constituency.
Considered a political stronghold of Kashmir’s oldest political party National Conference, the constituency has sent 12 Member of Parliaments (MPs) to Lok Sabha, with National Conference candidates bagging the seat nine out of 12 times.
It was from the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency that the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, was elected the Member of Parliament three consecutive times (1998-2004). After Omar, the seat was won by his father, Farooq Abdullah in 2009 and again in 2017 by-election.
If National Conference President emerges as the winner on May 23, it will be the 10th time that National Conference will win the Lok Sabha seat in the 13th LS election in the state.
On the other hand, Irfan Raza Ansari of People’s Conference is pitted as a strong candidate riding on the recent successes enjoyed by his party People’s Conference.
A business tycoon, Irfan Ansari is fighting the Parliamentary elections for the first time. Although, Ansari who has emerged as the richest candidate from the constituency with his wealth surpassing the cumulative wealth of all other candidates from Srinagar the constituency, will find it difficult to emerge victorious against bigwigs like Farooq Abdullah or even Aga Syed Mohsin who is fighting on a PDP ticket.
Ansari is the son of the influential Shia cleric and leader late Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari and younger brother of Imran Raza Ansari, who was a cabinet minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government.
Ansaris were earlier with Congress and later became part of National Conference, before finally joining hands with Mufti Mohammad Syed led People’s Democratic Party. Following the fall of the coalition government last year in June, Ansari’s threw their lot with Sajad Lone led Peoples Conference. All three Ansari’s – Irfan, Imran, Abid are now with Peoples Conference.
Peoples Conference is heavily relying on the influential Shia family of Ansari’s to dent National Conference’s vote share in Shia dominated areas of Srinagar, which have traditionally voted Shia candidates of whichever party. With influential Shia leaders into its fold, PC is looking to create a wedge in traditionally NC stronghold assembly segments like Zadibal, Hazratbal, Sonwar and Batamaloo.
Factoring in these dynamics, the contest for Srinagar parliamentary elections will be a test of mettle for Ansari’s and Peoples Conference in the charged political landscape of Kashmir.