Arsheed Ahmad Lone, a resident of Shopian district in the restive south Kashmir region, is contesting the Lok Sabha Election 2024 from the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha Constituency on a National Panthers Party (NPP) ticket.
Jammu and Kashmir Lok Sabha Election 2024: While everyone above the mandated age is eligible to fight elections in a democracy; their economic and social status being no bar. However, the ground reality is that fighting polls requires a hefty bank balance in order for the candidate to muster an election campaign in order to have any chance at competing, let alone winning the electoral battle against veteran candidates who have financial and infrastructural power to turn the tide in their favour.
In one such example, Arsheed Ahmad Lone, who is fighting political bigwigs like PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader and former minister Mian Altaf Ahmad, from the Anantang-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency, has virtually no finances for his campaign, and claims have borrowed money from his father to fight the poll battles.
‘Poorest’ candidate
According to his affidavit filed before the Election Commission, Lone, the “poorest” of 20 candidates in fray from the Anantnag seat, has no income or assets, rather a liability of Rs 2.60 lakh, a loan he had taken to buy a car, a few years ago.
In the affidavit, Lone, 28, declared he has not filed any income tax returns over the past five years because he has no income or assets.
Arsheed Ahmad Lone, a resident of Shopian district in the restive south Kashmir region, who is contesting the Lok Sabha Election 2024 on a National Panthers Party (NPP) ticket, revealed he has borrowed money from his father to fund his poll campaign.
“I do not have any income and I am dependent on my father to fund my election campaign,” the NPP candidate told news agency PTI.
Notably, Arsheed’s father, Ghulam Mohammad Lone owns a small apple orchard, around half an acre, which is the family’s only source of income.
‘Jobs will curb stone-pelting, militancy in Kashmir’
Asked why he ran for office amid financial restraints, Arsheed asserted that his goal is to serve the people of his constituency, and address the issues of unemployment and development needs in the region which will help curb stone-pelting and militancy as youth will be busy with jobs.
“Thousands of projects are started in the country every year. If I manage to get start even 10 projects, it will be a game changer. These projects will generate employment, and will keep the youth busy which will result in curbing stone-pelting and militancy in Kashmir,” Lone said.
‘Joining mainstream only path towards peace’
Similarly, Sajad Ahmad Dar, another young man from neighbouring Kulgam, has jumped into the electoral fray from the Anantnag seat. The 33-year-old hopes to break the “stranglehold of existing political parties” in Kashmir valley.
Notably, Dar who has declared that he has no regular source of income and no immovable assets, faces a criminal case registered against him in 2014.
“As a teenager, I made a mistake but now we want to be part of the mainstream. The only way to do so is to become a part of this festival of democracy. The existing parties do not allow new faces to come forward,” Dar told PTI.
“They maintain a stranglehold on the politics for their own vested interests,” Dar asserted.
The Kulgam resident, who is fighting as an independent candidate, has declared moveable assets worth just Rs 4.5 lakh, and no regular source of income.
Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha Election
According to affidavits submitted to the EC, NC’s Mian Altaf Ahmad is the richest candidate in fray from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat, with combined assets worth Rs 21 crore. Former Chief Minister and PDP supremo Mehbooba is the only prominent candidate with net-worth below Rs 1 crore. Mufti has declared total assets worth Rs 75 lakh.
Voting in the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency are scheduled to be held on May 7– Phase 3 of the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls.
(With PTI inputs)
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