The streets of Rajouri and Poonch, part of the Pir Panjal belt, came alive with celebrations on Wednesday as hundreds of National Conference (NC) supporters rejoiced over the induction of two local leaders — Surinder Kumar Choudhary and Javed Rana — into the newly formed Omar Abdullah-led government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Choudhary was sworn in as the deputy chief minister, while Rana took the oath as a minister in the first elected government of the union territory since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Both leaders are seen as pivotal figures in their respective constituencies in the Pir Panjal region. Choudhary represents Nowshera in Rajouri, while Rana represents Mendhar in Poonch. Their induction was part of the broader NC-Congress alliance’s electoral success, which won five of the eight seats in the region.
As news of their appointments spread, NC supporters took to the streets in Nowshera and Mendhar, celebrating with traditional drumming, dancing, and the distribution of sweets. In Choudhary’s hometown of Nowshera, jubilant crowds raised slogans in support of the NC and the Abdullah family, expressing their gratitude for Choudhary’s appointment as deputy chief minister.“We are deeply grateful to Dr Farooq Abdullah Sahib and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Ji for this gift to the Jammu region,” said Bunty Singh, an NC worker from Nowshera.
“Choudhary’s victory over BJP’s Ravinder Raina, despite the backing of the prime minister and home minister, shows the strength of the people’s support for NC.”Surinder Kumar Choudhary, who joined the NC in 2023 after brief stints with the PDP and BJP, secured a decisive victory over BJP’s J&K unit chief Ravinder Raina by a margin of 7,819 votes in the 2024 elections. This marked a significant political comeback for Choudhary, who had lost to Raina in 2014. “It is a matter of pride for the Pir Panjal, especially my constituency Nowshera,” Choudhary said after the swearing-in ceremony.
“I deeply thank Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah for their trust.”
In Mendhar, similar celebrations took place at the home of Javed Rana, who has represented the constituency since 2002 and was re-elected for a third term in 2024. Rana defeated BJP’s Murtaza Ahmed Khan by a margin of 14,906 votes, cementing his position as a political veteran in the region. Scores of supporters gathered at his house to celebrate his appointment as a minister in the new government.With the appointment of two ministers from the Pir Panjal belt, NC supporters in the region expressed hope for development after what they described as years of neglect.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, a local who campaigned for Choudhary, said, “The NC will now work for the development of the region, which has been sidelined for the past decade.”
Both, Choudhary and Rana are expected to play crucial roles in addressing the concerns of the Pir Panjal belt as part of the Omar Abdullah-led government.
