12 CANDIDATES IN FRAY | BJP, Congress, DPAP engaged in triangular contest in Udhampur

Jammu, Mar 30:Twelve candidates are in the electoral fray for Udhampur parliamentary constituency, which is all set to witness a triangular contest among Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) candidates.

It will go to polls in the first phase on April 19, 2024.

Today (March 30) was the last date for withdrawal of candidature until 3 pm.

“No candidate withdrew his candidature today thus leaving twelve candidates in the electoral fray,” Returning Officer 4-Udhampur Parliamentary constituency, Dr Rakesh Minhas told Greater Kashmir.

Twelve candidates in the fray included BJP candidate Dr Jitendra Singh; Congress candidate Chowdhary Lal Singh; Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) candidate G M Saroori, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Amit Kumar; Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP)-Bhim candidate Balwan Singh; Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal candidate Manoj Kumar; independent candidates Dr Pankaj Sharma, Rajesh Manchanda, Sachin Gupta, Swaran Veer Singh Jaral, Mohammad Ali Gujjar and Mehraj Din.

If one talks in terms of winnability on the basis of previous trends the constituency has displayed, it is a straight contest between Dr Jitendra Singh and Chowdhary Lal Singh.

Saroori’s presence is making it (contest) triangular as Congress has apprehension that he (Saroori) being an ex-Congressman, with a definite sway in Chenab valley pockets, will encroach upon its vote-bank. Even if he is not in a position to win, he may prove to be a spoil-sport for his erstwhile party – Congress shares this grouse.

Both BJP and Congress candidates, presently in fray, have won it (Udhampur LS seat) twice and that too for consecutive (two) terms. Lal Singh, as Congress candidate, bagged it in 2004 and 2009 while Dr Jitendra as BJP candidate clinched it from Congress in 2014 and 2019.

In 2014 and 2019 also, Lal Singh was in the electoral fray from this constituency yet as an independent.

Dr Jitendra, in 2014, had defeated the former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, a Congress candidate, in Udhampur constituency, with a margin of 62,000 votes.

In 2019, he (Dr Jitendra) again annexed Udhampur LS seat by defeating his nearest rival Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh by a margin of 3.57 lakh votes.

So in a way, both BJP and Congress candidates in 2024 will try to reclaim the seat for the third time.

In 2014, Lal Singh had left Congress in protest against the party’s decision to give nomination to Azad. He contested as an independent yet got defeated. Later he joined BJP. After leaving BJP (following a short stint there), in 2019, he (Lal Singh) contested from both Jammu and Udhampur LS seats. He was forced to eat a humble pie from both the places by forfeiting his security deposits even.