The Charar-e-Sharief Assembly Constituency in central Kashmir’s Budgam district is poised for a high-stakes political battle, with two seasoned politicians, Abdul Rahim Rather of the National Conference (NC) and Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), headlining the race. This direct contest between former ministers is expected to dominate the electoral scene, with both leaders bringing substantial political clout and experience to the fray.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), apart from Rather and Lone, there are eight other candidates contesting from the constituency, including Zahid Hussain Jan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mohammad Shafi Hurrah of the Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (Bhim), Owais Ashraf Shah of Apni Party, Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen Shah of Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Front (Secular), and independents Javid Mohammad Hubi, Gazanfar Ali, Mohammad Yousuf Ganie and Nisar Ahmad Dar. An independent candidate, Farooq Ahmad Khan has withdrawn his nomination papers.
Abdul Rahim Rather
Born in 1944, Rather is one of the senior politicians in Jammu & Kashmir. A six-time MLA representing the NC from Charar-i-Sharief, he has also served as the Speaker and held several key ministries, including Finance, in various NC-led governments. His extensive experience and long-standing presence in the constituency make him a formidable candidate.
Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura
An advocate by profession, Lone is a senior politician and former cabinet minister affiliated with the PDP. He was elected as a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from Charar-e-Sharief in 2014 and subsequently held a cabinet berth. Lone’s legal background and previous tenure as an MLA add weight to his candidacy.
Political analysts believe the main contest will be between Rather and Lone, given their strong vote bases in the constituency. However, the recent delimitation process, which added around 30 villages from the Khansahib constituency with approximately 18,000 votes to Charar-e-Sharief, could play a pivotal role in the election outcome, they said.
JKPDF chief Hakeem Yaseen, who has influence in these newly added areas, could sway a significant portion of the votes, possibly affecting the fortunes of both the NC and PDP, analysts said.
They added that the presence of three candidates from Charar-e-Sharief town itself, including independents, could further fragment the vote, which makes the contest even more unpredictable. The PDP received a boost with the recent joining of Mushtaq Zoohami, a leader from the Apni Party, which could enhance their vote share.
The constituency now has a voter strength of 1,03,126, including 52,288 males and 50,832 females. In the 2014 Assembly elections, Charar-e-Sharief had a total of 78,359 electors, with 64,600 valid votes cast. Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura of the PDP won the seat with 32,849 votes, while Abdul Rahim Rather of the NC secured 27,682 votes, losing by a margin of 5,167 votes.
In the recent parliamentary elections, the NC led in the constituency with around 28,000 votes, while the PDP garnered about 20,000 votes. The upcoming election is expected to be a litmus test for both parties, as they vie to consolidate their support bases in this key constituency—(KNO)
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