CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Before the abrogation of Article 370, Jammu and Kashmir had five seats, with one in Ladakh. Among these, three seats—Srinagar, Baramulla, and Anantnag—were in Kashmir, while Jammu and Udhampur represented Jammu. After the abrogation, the Delimitation Commission merged the Muslim majority districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu with three districts of south Kashmir—Anantnag, Shopian, and Kulgam—to form a new Lok Sabha constituency, Anantnag-Rajouri.
Regional parties like the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party alleged that the move was politically motivated, orchestrated by the Bharatiya Janata Party to reduce the number of Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir from three to two and extend its influence into the region through Jammu’s Muslim majority Rajouri and Poonch, largely inhabited by Paharis, Gujjars, and Bakerwals (nomads).
The BJP’s strategy to appeal to voters in Rajouri-Poonch, also known as Pir Panjal–the mountain range that separates Rajouri and Poonch from Kashmir–is focused on winning over the large Pahari-speaking population, along with three other communities including Gadda Brahmin, “Koli,” and Paddari Tribe by granting them Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
While this approach did attract the Paharis to the BJP, it caused resentment among tribal Gujjars and Bakerwals. Despite the BJP’s efforts to court these communities, actions such as anti-encroachment drives affecting many Gujjars in Jammu post-Article 370, civilian casualties in security forces’ custody following militant attacks, and the granting of ST status to Paharis disillusioned Gujjars and Bakerwals with the BJP. The BJP has tried to placate the two communities by assuring them that their 10 per cent reservation quota will not be impacted by the ST status given to Paharis.