In 2019, the Jammu Lok Sabha seat had over 20 lakh voters, and it was the largest constituency in the state of Jammu & Kashmir then. The other five Lok Sabha segments of Udhampur, Anantnag, Srinagar, Baramullah, and Leh all had fewer votes than this segment. Areawise, Leh Lok Sabha segment was spread over a very large area but had the least number of voters. However, when Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019, the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories (UTs) and a fresh delimitation was ordered.
After the delimitation, many of the assembly segments were redrawn, their names changed, and the Lok Sabha segments were redrawn too. Of the five seats in the UT of J&K, the contours of Jammu, Udhampur, and Anantnag Lok Sabha segments have altered. None more than that of the Jammu Lok Sabha seat which goes to polls on April 26 in the second phase. The border districts of Poonch and Rajouri were earlier a part of the Jammu Lok Sabha segment but now these districts stand detached.
Poonch and Rajouri are now part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, from which veteran Gujjar leader Mian Altaf is contesting, besides PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti. One assembly segment of the Rajouri district, Sunderbani-Kalkote, is a part of the Jammu Lok Sabha seat. Besides, three assembly segments of Gulabgarh (ST), Reasi and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi (a new assembly segment) of the Reasi district are new areas added to the Jammu Lok Sabha segment. Three assembly segments of Samba district are also included in the Jammu Lok Sabha seat. All 11 assembly segments of the Jammu district are a part of the Jammu Lok Sabha seat.
Overall, the Jammu Lok Sabha seat had 20 assembly segments earlier, but this time, it has only 18 and is spread over four districts, Jammu, Samba, Reasi and Rajouri. The drastic change in the manner in which this Lok Sabha segment has been drawn, rather redrawn, means there are new voters with different demands than the last time. It bears mention here that the new delimitation has done something not seen in J&K earlier.
There are now 90 assembly segments in the UT of J&K, and each Lok Sabha seat has 18 of them. Earlier, the distribution of assembly seats was odd and uneven, with 46 assembly seats of the Kashmir valley divided into three Lok Sabha segments. On the other hand, 37 assembly segments of the Jammu division were divided into two Lok Sabha seats. This had resulted in a lopsided division of seats, with the Jammu Lok Sabha seat having 20 assembly segments, that of Udhampur having 17 and all three Lok Sabha seats of Kashmir having almost 15 assembly segments.
One thing unique about the Jammu Lok Sabha seat is the high number of Scheduled Castes (SC), around 23 per cent, spread over five assembly segments. The population of Scheduled Tribes (STs) in this segment is around nine per cent, with one ST reserved assembly constituency. Ramgarh, Bishnah, Suchetgarh, Marh and Akhnoor are the five SC reserved assembly segments falling under this Lok Sabha segment. These were all seats in the general category from 1996 to 2022 when new delimitation happened.
In 2014 and also in 2019, Jugal Kishore Sharma of the BJP won from the Jammu Lok Sabha segment. In 2014, Sharma had won by over 50,000 votes, and in 2019, he had defeated his Congress rival by over two lakh voters. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had addressed a rally in support of Sharma a few days ago but no senior Congress leaders have visited this segment.
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