The Congress, a key member player of the INDIA alliance, is contesting two of the five seats, Udhampur and Jammu, while the remaining three seats in Kashmir, Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag, regional partners of the INDIA Alliance; NC and PDP, are fielding their candidates due to disagreement over seat sharing.
Congress, which used to be a dominant player in the Jammu region, lost considerable ground to the BJP after the 2008 Amarnath land agitation. The rise of the BJP in the last decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also helped the BJP make inroads in Jammu at the expense of the Congress and the regional parties.
The Congress has fielded Chaudhary Lal Singh, who recently rejoined the party in Udhampur Lok Sabha against the incumbent Dr Jitendra Singh of the BJP, who won the previous elections by impressive margins against the Congress. In 2005, he defeated Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress by over 60,000 votes and the Congress’ Vikramaditya Singh by 35,7059 votes.
Observers believe that the BJP has an edge over the Congress in Udhampur as the Congress has not been able to counter the BJP effectively at the grassroots. The BJP candidate also benefits from the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi among many voters in Jammu.
The Congress understands the challenge and has fielded Chaudhary, a two-time MP, who the observers believe is the best bet with the Congress against Singh. He has been very vocal against the BJP criticising the party’s policies after the abrogaton of Article 370 and commands some support in his home district of Kathua.
Apart from the Gandhis, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and two Chief Ministers, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (Himachal Pradesh) and Revanth Reddy (Telangana), are set to lend their support to the Congress candidates in Jammu and Kashmir. The roster also includes former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat and Actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar, who will actively engage in canvassing efforts in the Union Territory.
Rahul visited Jammu and Kashmir in 2022 during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and the Gandhis had a subsequent private trip to the Kashmir valley, this marks the first visit of Mallikarjun Kharge to the UT since assuming the role of Congress president.
As the Congress is contesting only two Lok Sabha seats in the UT, the party's campaign will focus primarily on the Jammu division. The Congress has opted to leave three other seats for the INDIA block candidates. The Congress has named Raman Bhalla, its working president, for the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency.
The list of star campaigners for Jammu and Kashmir also encompasses Ambika Soni, KC Venugopal, Sachin Pilot, Bharatsinh Solanki, Pramod Tewari, Pawan Khera, Ranjeet Ranjan, TS Singh Deo, Imran Pratapgarhi, Manoj Yadav, Vikar Rasool Wani, PCC chief GA Mir, former PCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra, Peerzada Mohammad Sayeed, Tara Chand, Raman Bhalla, Choudhary Lal Singh, GN Monga, Shameema Raina, and Akash Bharat.
The Congress hasn't secured a Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir since 2009. While it cinched victories in both Jammu and Udhampur seats during the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the party faced defeats to the BJP in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
The National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are extending their support to the Congress candidates in the Jammu and Udhampur constituencies.
