Jammu and Kashmir National United Front (JKNUF) — a political party recently floated by Kashmiri Pandit migrants to exclusively take up issues concerning the displaced community — has decided to contest Assembly elections from atleast 15 constituencies in Kashmir valley. Sources said that the party finalised the candidates for certain constituencies on Thursday and the rest of the candidates would be decided in a few days.

It is the first time that the displaced community has decided to participate in the electoral process in a major way. Earlier, Kashmiri Pandit organisations stuck to giving boycott calls, reasoning that voting in exile for candidates in Kashmir holds no meaning for them. More than 72,000 exiled Kashmiri Pandit voters are scattered across the Valley, with the bulk of them concentrated in the constituencies finalised on Thursday. As per official sources, of more than 50,000 displaced Pandit families, 34, 608 are concentrated in Jammu.

JKNUF working president A K Dewani said that the chosen constituencies include Amira Kadal, Habba Kadal, Hazratbal, Batmalloo, Tral, Pulwama, Dooru, Handwara, Bijbehra, Wachi, Baramulla, Gulmarg, Sopore, Langate and Pahalgam. He also announced the five candidates finalised for the elections so far. They include Ashok Raina from Dooru, Desh Rattan Pandita from Wachi, Gulshan Sanotra from Baramulla, Rakesh Handoo from Hazratbal and RK Sehgal from Amira Kadal.

On a question whether candidates who are living outside the Valley and fighting elections for the constituencies in Kashmir would campaign in Kashmir, Dewani replied in the affirmative. “Away from the actual constituencies, we will be campaigning in migrant camps and other Pandit dominated areas in Jammu and elsewhere in the country. Apart from this we will also campaign in Kashmir, where constituencies are actually located. But the extent of our campaigning in Kashmir will depend on the security scenario”, he added.

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