Most political parties to go it alone
state times news
Srinagar: Even as the dates for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir have been announced, with the first phase of the five-phase exercise being less than a month away, most parties are yet to announce their candidates for various constituencies.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the elections on 25th October and 15 constituencies go to polls in the first phase on 25th November. The notification for the first phase was issued on Tuesday.
The ruling National Conference (NC) is yet to decide on the mandates for three constituencies out of 15.
Out of these fifteen constituencies, the NC has not given mandates in three assembly seats Ganderbal, currently represented in the State Legislature by NC Working President and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Bandipora and Inderwal.
National Conference has released three lists of mandates so far and there are still many constituencies including three Hazratbal, Sonwar and Zadibal – in Srinagar District, where candidates have not been finalised yet. The party has not yet decided on the seat for Omar and though the leadership was divided over Ganderbal and Sonwar, the NC working president may ultimately fight the battle from the family’s traditional bastion Ganderbal in central Kashmir. Omar had lost the elections from the seat in 2002 when he made his electoral debut in the State politics, but won comfortably in 2008. The party said the process of finalising the mandates for the remaining constituencies was delayed because of the devastating floods that hit the State last month. The party even expressed its reservations to holding the elections on time and was in favour of delaying the process citing rehabilitation of the flood-affected people as a reason. It said the focus of the government would shift from rehabilitation to the elections.
However, the party finally decided to give in as the ECI decided to conduct elections on time and announced the poll dates.
“We had issued three lists and were finalising the fourth and the final one, but, unfortunately, a tragedy struck the state and our focus shifted on the relief and rehabilitation of the people,” NC spokesman, Junaid Matoo said.
Matoo said the party has almost finalised the names and the list would be issued in a couple of days.
National Conference is not alone when it comes to finalising mandates. Its coalition partner, Congress, and the opposition BJP are yet to take a call on any Assembly constituencies.
Both the parties say, they would announce the mandates in a few days.
“The candidates would be announced within a couple of days. We are working on it,” Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, President Saifuddin Soz said.
BJP said the party leadership was in touch with the state leaders and meetings were on to decide the candidates.
“The meetings are going on and the list would be out in a few days,” BJP’s Kashmir spokesman, Khalid Jehangir, said.
While national parties such as BJP, BSP, NCP have indicated that they would contest on all 87 seats, National Conference (NC) ally Congress is tight-lipped about any pre-poll alliance.
On the other hand, regional parties such as NC, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and JKNPP have also decided to go it alone in the five-phase elections beginning November 25. “We won’t be entering into any pre-poll alliance with any political party as we are considering to field our candidates on all the 87 assembly constituencies in the state,” BJP MP and party in charge for Jammu and Kashmir Avinash Rai Khanna had said.
BSP also announced to go it alone in the upcoming elections. “We will have no pre-poll alliance with political parties. We will go it alone to contest elections,” BSP’s J and K chief Tulsi Dass Langeh told PTI.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), ally of Congress in previous UPA government at the Centre, has also chosen to fight the electoral battle on its own.
“We will contest elections in the state alone. There will be no pre-poll alliance with any party,” NCP’s State Chief Thakur Randhir Singh told PTI.
He said that NCP has already finalized the candidates for 15 Assembly seats and the process is on to select others.
When asked about any pre-poll alliance yesterday, Congress’ state chief Prof Saif uddin Soz did not reply on the issue.
“The candidates would be announced within a couple of days. We are working on it,” Soz had said.
Asked whether NC will go it alone in the polls, party’s provincial president for Jammu region, Devinder Singh Rana replied, “yes, it is evident”.
Opposition PDP has also maintained that it will contest the elections on its own. “PDP will go along in these elections. There will no pre-poll alliance,” PDP spokesman and MLC, Nayeem Akhtar had said.
Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), which was coalition partner of PDP and Congress in 2002-2007, will also contest its candidates on all seats. “We will contest election on our own. We will contest on all the seat in J&K,” JKNPP president Balwant Mankotia said. (PTI)
