J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

NC may not field candidate against Azad
Jammu, April 4
Will the National Conference field its candidate against Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Bhaderwah Assembly constituency or give tacit support to him? The silence of the NC on the issue so far has created ripples in the political circles in Jammu and Kashmir where the Congress is running the government with coalition of the PDP, which is the number one enemy of the NC.

Dissent in PDP over ticket denial
Srinagar, April 4
Even as PDP chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed announced joint candidates of the Congress-PDP coalition for three Assembly constituencies in Baramulla district, which go to the polls later this month, differences within his party have surfaced.

Geelani’s poll boycott call unlikely to influence voters
Jammu, April 4
The call of boycott by the Tehrik Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, is unlikely to impact the Bhaderwah Assembly constituency where Congress candidate Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, is to seek election mandate to retain his post.

NC may not field candidate against Azad
S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 4
Will the National Conference (NC) field its candidate against Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Bhaderwah Assembly constituency or give tacit support to him?

The silence of the NC on the issue so far has created ripples in the political circles in Jammu and Kashmir where the Congress is running the government with coalition of the PDP, which is the number one enemy of the NC.

The NC has identified its candidates for two of the four Assembly seats, Rafiabad and Pattan, where byelection will be held on April 24. On the other two seats, Bhaderwah and Sangrama, it is maintaining a silence. It is learnt that the NC chief, Mr Omar Abdullah, might officially announce the candidates tomorrow.

When contacted on the telephone today, Mr Abdullah told this correspondent that the party had identified a candidate for Bhaderwah and as a part of the strategy his name had not yet been announced.

Mr Abdullah, who met Mr Azad here three days ago, is learnt to have discussed the matter with him. Unconfirmed reports claim that the NC has made up its mind not to field any candidate against Mr Azad who will file his nomination papers at Bhaderwah tomorrow. A section of the NC was in favour of fielding the party candidate to prevent erosion of its vote bank. However, the final picture would emerge only after the meeting of the parliamentary board of the NC.

However, the developments so far indicate that it might be a cakewalk for Mr Azad as the BJP has also decided to field a lightweight against him. The former BJP chief, Mr Daya Kishen Kotwal, is learnt to be reluctant to contest the election against Mr Azad. The BJP cadre has been left demoralised with the Doda district chief of the party recently joining the Congress to support Mr Azad in the election.

A senior BJP leader admitted that although it would not be a problem for Mr Azad to win, but the party would not let him have the seat uncontested. It is learnt that the focus of the NC would be on the three seats in the Kashmir valley where it will have a virtual direct contest with the PDP of Mufti Sayeed.

The Congress party had initially staked its claim for at least one seat in the valley, but now it appears that the party high command has left all the three seats of the valley for the PDP to contest. The NC might try to encash the heartburning among the Congress activists and defeat the PDP at least on one seat as it did in the earlier election.

The PDP is badly divided on the candidature of Mr Javed Hassan Baig, nephew of Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig,in the Sangrama constituency. A former minister and a founder member of the party, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir, is learnt to be supporting Mr Shoaib Lone, a rebel and son of Mr G.N.Lone, the then minister, following whose assassination the byelection for the seat is being held.

Mr Mir has been insisting that the PDP should have given the ticket to Mr Lone for whom there was sympathy in the area. In case the NC does not field its candidate at Sangrama and supports Mr Lone, it might become a difficult task for the official candidate of the PDP.

Dissent in PDP over ticket denial
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 4
Even as PDP chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed announced joint candidates of the Congress-PDP coalition for three Assembly constituencies in Baramulla district, which go to the polls later this month, differences within his party have surfaced.

The denial of ticket by the PDP to Shoaib Lone, son of slain minister Ghulam Nabi Lone, who is now contesting as an Independent candidate from Sangrama, has led to differences among top leaders of the ruling party.

The denial, according to senior PDP leader and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, was not fair in view of the findings that the killing of his father had been because of a security lapse.

Former Chief Minister and PDP patron had announced three “joint candidates” of the Congress-PDP coalition while addressing a public meeting to launch the election campaign at Baramulla on Sunday.

They included Javed Ahmad Beigh, nephew of Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, as candidate from Sangrama constituency. The two other candidates were former MLAs Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari and Dilawar Mir from their respective constituencies of Pattan and Rafiabad.

Significantly, a section of the Congress has been in favour of contesting the byelections so as “to retain the Congress base” in the valley.

The probable candidates for the party included Abdul Ghani and Muzaffar Parray, senior functionaries of the state Congress unit.

Former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir, who has been blaming the government for the death of Ghulam Nabi Lone, has extended his support to the slain minister’s son, Shoaib Lone, from Sangrama.

Given the situation, the ruling Congress and the opposition National Conference are in a mood to support Shoaib Lone.

According to sources in the NC, the party has decided to support Lone and would not field its candidate from the constituency.

It has, however, decided to field former minister and Farooq Abdullah’s brother Mustafa Kamaal from Pattan constituency.

The NC may also field Mohammad Maqbool from Rafiabad constituency. Even as it has finalised its candidates from the four constituencies, the party may not be contesting all seats.

Having its “understanding” with the Congress leadership, the NC is, as expected, not fielding a candidate against Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad from his home constituency of Bhaderwah in Doda district of the Jammu region.

Geelani’s poll boycott call unlikely to influence voters
Our Correspondent

Jammu, April 4
The call of boycott by the Tehrik Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, is unlikely to impact the Bhaderwah Assembly constituency where Congress candidate Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, is to seek election mandate to retain his post.

Under the state’s constitution a Chief Minister has to be a member of either the state Assembly or the Legislative Council within six months of the day he was sworn as the Chief Minister.

Though one seat in the council was vacant Mr Azad preferred to contest the Assembly poll so that his critics would not blame him for staging a backdoor entry in the Chief Minister’s office.

Right from 1989 elections, whether to the Lok Sabha or to the Assembly, separatists and militant outfits have given call for poll boycott. Their call received full support from the electorate in 1989 Lok Sabha election when the winning candidates from Anantnag and Baramula got elected by polling three to five per cent of the total votes and the Srinagar seat went to the National Conference candidate without a contest. This was so because militancy-related violence, that had started taking roots in Kashmir, had created terrible scare among the electorate.

Since 1989 number of elections have been held but the response to the boycott calls given by the separatists started dwindling. And in 1996 and 2002 Assembly elections more than 40 per cent votes were cast.

As soon as the Election Commission issued the notification for the bypoll in four Assembly constituencies, Sangrama, Rafiabad, Pattan (all in Baramula district) and Bhaderwah in Doda district the senior most separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani launched his anti-poll campaign.

“Jo vote mangegaa woh gadaar, Jo vote deygaa woh gadaar” (those who seek votes are traitors and those who cast votes are traitors) is Mr Geelani’s refrain during the anti-poll campaign.

Mr Geelani who hails from the Sopore belt of Baramula district has his pockets of influence in the north Kashmir belt and as such his call for boycott may have some impact in case militants lend the logistic support to his anti-poll tirade.

The recent militant attacks on two Municipal Councillors in Sopore and Baramula, who were killed, and another bid on the life of PDP candidate, Javed Ahmed Beig, from Sangrama indicate that militants have started creating scare that could keep voters indoors on the day of polling.

However, two factors may not help Mr Geelani in enforcing his poll boycott call. One is that the perception among people has undergone a big change that was reflected in reasonable voting percentage in 1996 and 2002 Assembly poll.

Secondly, since Mr Geelani has not received support to his poll boycott call from other separatist groups he may prove to be a lone crusader against peoples’ participation in the byelection.

Cong councillor, cop killed in J&K

Srinagar, April 4
A Congress councillor and a policeman were killed by militants in the Kashmir valley today, official sources said.

Councillor Wali Mohammad War was shot at and critically wounded by militants at the main chowk in north Kashmir. He succumbed to injuries before he could be shifted to a hospital, sources added.

Militants had also shot dead a Congress councillor at Sopore two days ago.

Sources said militants kidnapped Head Constable Ghulam Rasool Jan, posted at the Pampore police station, last night and later killed him. — UNI