First-timers engaged in tight fight

Ishfaq Tantry

Tribune News Service

Baramulla, December 3

It is going to be a battle of first-timers in the Baramulla Assembly segment as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Javaid Hassan Beigh locks horns with Salman Anees Soz of the Congress.

Though both the candidates are not new to the politics, courtesy their lineage, it is for the first time that the two are in the poll fray.

While Salman Soz is the son of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saifuddin Soz, Javaid Hassan is the nephew of two-time Baramulla legislator and Member of Parliament Muzaffar Hussain Beigh.

The National Conference on the other hand has fielded Ghulam Hassan Rahi from the segment.

Been a staunch party activist all through his life, Rahi commands respect among the NC cadres and is considered to be a dark horse.

The absence of Muzaffar Hussain Beigh from the state elections this time around has added to his chances on the ground.

The major hurdle for Rahi, however, remains a strong anti-incumbency against the Omar Abdullah-led government.

“Right now, the people in Baramulla town are on a silent mode. They had expected Muzaffar Hussain Beigh to contest from the constituency himself…their (voters) behavior will only be known on the day of voting,” said Bashir Ahmad Kanroo, a prominent social activist from Baramulla.

Speculation was rife that Muzaffar Hussain Beigh might surrender his Baramulla Lok Sabha seat and contest the state elections. The PDP, however, nominated the junior Beigh for the Assembly segment.

Javaid is riding high on the “PDP wave” in the region and wants to cash in on the legacy and good will earned by his uncle during his tenure as the Baramulla MLA.

The absence of Muzaffar Beigh from the fray, however, is being seen as an opportunity by the opponents.

Young, energetic and well educated Salman Soz all through his stay in the constituency has made youth the focus of his “silent campaign”.

If one goes by the past performance of the party in the area, the prospects of a Congress win are thin. But Salman is hopeful of a surprise.

“My biggest strength is that I am not a politician. I don’t sell lies,” said a confident Salman Soz.

Baramulla throughout its history has remained a strong bastion of the separatist sentiment in the region and the final outcome in this part of the Valley will depend on the voter turnout in the rural and hilly areas of the segment. These are the places where boycott call has not been heeded to in the past.

The effect of separatist-turned-politician Sajjad Lone-led People’s Conference, which is participating in the Assembly elections after a long hiatus, can also not be ruled out in this north Kashmir segment. The party has nominated Mohammad Yousf Dar for the seat.