Jammu: The impact of abrogation of Article 370 is quite visible in Jammu and Kashmir as a non-local is contesting elections from Anantnag Parliamentary constituency and he is confident of getting support from people for his social work.He filed his nomination papers on April 19 with the Returning Officer (RO) at Anantnag and his papers got approval after the scrutiny. He is all set to get the election symbol on Tuesday.Kumar filed his nomination papers with RO Dr. Syed Fakruddin Hamid on April 19 and hoped that he will emerge the winner due to his social work among the Kashmiri population.Baldev Kumar, a resident of Adarsh Nagar, Naya Gaon Mohali Punjab, has got this honour of becoming the first non-local resident to file the nomination papers from Anantnag constituency.Talking exclusively to KNO, Kumar said that he has been doing social work for the last 20 years in Chandigarh and has been hosting patients from different parts of Kashmir. he is banking on these votes. “I have been hosting patients from Kashmir in Chandigarh at my home and want to build a 100-room Kashmir House in the future for the people fop Kashmir. These patients are my supporters and they will campaign for me in every corner of Anantnag constituency,” he said.“It was due to the insistence of these patients that I decided to fight these elections. I am hopeful to defeat everybody else will emerge winner,” the Mohali resident added.He informed that his non-government organization (NGO) Jan Ekta Seva Sangathan has been doing the social work and he is managing all its affairs.Kumar said that though he has no other connection with Kashmir but his father’s name Kashmiri Lal is the one connection which he is cherishing. “The social work which I have been doing has come from my father who through a pharmacy shop started doing it and it has been transferred to me,” he added—

Reader correspondent