On Friday, the constituency’s six-time MLA and senior National Conference (NC) leader Abdul Rahim Rather toured its villages urging people to come out to vote – and to keep the BJP out.

National Conference (NC) leader Abdul Rahim Rather. (Express Photo by SHUAIB MASOODI)

A former state finance minister who served in the Cabinets of both Farooq and Omar Abdullah, Rather has been the Charar-e-Sharief MLA since 1977 almost uninterrupted, barring the time he lost to PDP general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura in 2014. Hanjura is taking on Rather again in the seat, which votes in the second phase on September 25.

Rather’s cavalcade reaches Surasyar village just before the Friday prayers, but the crowd gathered in the main market hangs behind to listen to him. The 80-year-old climbs on to a temporary stage erected in front of a row of shops and begins by explaining why the NC needs to win. They should vote “wisely… and not emotionally”, Rather says, adding: “They (the BJP) took away our flag, our Constitution, our identity. J&K has been in a state of despair for the last 10 years. These have been long years of difficulty for you, without representation. But now, you have to be careful, you have to vote wisely to prevent any further damage.”

Rather’s cavalcade reaches Surasyar village just before the Friday prayers. (Express Photo by SHUAIB MASOODI)

The NC leader also tells them that elections are taking place in J&K because of the Supreme Court’s intervention and not because the BJP-led Central government “decided to restore democracy”.

Aware that his main competitor is the PDP, Rather then holds the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP as “far more responsible” for the state of affairs in J&K than the BJP, “because they brought the enemy home”. Charar-e-Sharief is only one of the 19 constituencies the BJP is contesting in the Valley, and its candidate Zahid Hussain Jan is a former mayor of the local municipal committee.

Rather also expands on the NC manifesto, being head of the committee that drafted it. While the NC and PDP have both promised to seek restoration of Article 370, Rather focuses on another matter. “We have made provisions to fill one lakh vacancies in government jobs. We have made provisions for farmers. You all work in the field and we have made sure to include that in our manifesto,” he says.

While the NC and PDP have both promised to seek restoration of Article 370, Rather focuses on another matter. (Express Photo by SHUAIB MASOODI)

Speaking to The Indian Express, Rather says the NC is drilling the need to vote, particularly in these Assembly elections, which are the first after the abrogation of Article 370. “In the history of the state, this is the longest that people have had to wait for political representation. This is the first thing I say at my events. Voting is the only way to resolve the unattended problems of the last few years.”

Unlike the existing “bureaucratic raj”, where officials ruled with “no patience to listen to the people”, “nor any accountability”, Rather adds, a politician has to explain both his “conduct” and his “performance” every five years.

Rather also uses the words “ittehad” and “ittefaq” often to drive home the need for “unity” in voting. “Some people try to provoke others, but we do not have to fall for these means,” he says, adding to The Indian Express that he believes the people have already made up their mind to back the NC. “I tell them a strong government can provide strong solutions to people’s issues… With the right elected representatives, we can tell the whole country that the constitutional changes of August 2019 are not acceptable to us.”

He adds: “The Central government has tried to impress that people are content with its decisions. But people themselves did not have a chance to voice their opinion. They placed security everywhere and detained the leaders (before the abrogation). This is a chance to show people’s opinion as a rejection of those decisions.”

Rather does not forget to mention the ongoing apple, walnut and paddy harvest season – which is believed to have been one reason for the polling in the first phase remaining in the same range as previous years, despite public enthusiasm. He tells people to vote next week despite their busy schedule.

What helps Rather is the NC’s strong cadre structure, more robust than of any other political outfit in Kashmir. In Charar-e-Sharief that goes far, along with the NC leader’s own reputation.

As Rather highlights his achievements over his 30 years of representing the constituency, people admit that schools and health centres have come up, but express worry about the lack of jobs in the area.

Rashid Ahmad, who is listening to Rather, says: “Earlier, the young were too busy for politics. It was old men like me who voted in elections. Now, there is a lot of resentment among the young because they do not have the means to support their families. This runs true across the Valley.”