The seasonal migration of the Gujjars and Bakkerwals with their livestock to high pastures in Jammu and Kashmir is worrying political parties as this coincides with the Lok Sabha polls.

However, the anxiety is more in the prestigious Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency that has the highest concentration of the nomadic Gujjar community, particularly in the Rajouri and Poonch districts, although the phenomenon will also affect other segments. The Udhampur constituency also has a considerable number of migratory Gujjars and Bakkerwals.

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Political parties are worried that the migration is bound to upset their poll calculations.

The migration of Gujjars and Bakkerwals started in the first week of April and is gradually picking up. By 7 May, the day of polling for the Anantnag seat, most of the migratory voters are expected to have relocated to the mountain pastures as the mercury would be soaring.

A substantial vote bank of slightly more than 38 per cent belonging to the Gujjar and Bakkerwal communities resides in the Rajouri and Poonch districts of the Jammu division that have been merged with the south Kashmir’s Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency. However, most of them would have moved out with their sheep, goats, cows, buffalos, and horses to the high pastures in the Jammu division and Kashmir valley for the summer months.

The other districts in the Anantnag seat, including Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, and Anantnag, also have Gujjar and Bakkerwal populations but their number is not as high as in Rajouri and Poonch that were earlier part of the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency.

It is worth mentioning that the Anantnag constituency will witness a high-profile election as two former chief ministers, Mehbooba Mufti (PDP) and Ghulam Nabi Azad (DPAP), will be in the fray. Besides, the National Conference has fielded Mian Altaf, who is the third generation of a family that has never lost any assembly election since 1952. Mian Altaf is a hereditary spiritual leader of the Gujjar community. More candidates are expected to join the fray when the filing of papers for the constituency begins.

Senior vice president and chief spokesperson of the Congress Ravinder Sharma said that people of the Gujjar-Bakerwal communities have embarked on their seasonal migration to upper reaches along with their livestock and would be deprived of their valuable voting rights.

He said that both the parliamentary constituencies in the Jammu region have a sizable population of Gujjar-Bakerwal and other Scheduled Tribe Communities, most of whom are nomads. A large number of members of these communities from these constituencies have already left for higher reaches.

Sharma urged the Election Commission of India to devise a mechanism to ensure the participation of these communities in the voting process.