Jammu, November 6
With the political parties coming out with their lists of candidates, the dejected ticket aspirants have started raising the banner of revolt against their outfits.

There is unrest in the rank and file of various parties after the ticket allotment and the unhappy party leaders and workers are lodging their protest in their own ways. While some leaders are filing nominations an independent candidates, others' supporters are either quitting the party en masse or protesting outside the party offices.

The Congress is facing resentment in Udhampur, Kathua and Rajouri districts. The rebellion in the party also took a violent turn in Darhal constituency of Rajouri yesterday, as supporters of party candidate Thakur Puran Singh clashed with those of party rebel Iqbal Malik. Another Congress leader and sitting MLC Ashok Sharma has filed his papers as an independent following the party's decision to field Abdul Gani Kohali from Kalakote. Similarly, Congress leader Qammar Hussain has jumped into the electoral fray as an independent from Rajouri after being denied the ticket.

In Kathua district too, Congress leader Pankaj Dogra has announced his decision to contest as an independent from Billawar against the party's official nominee, Dr M.L. Sharma. While another party leader in Billawar may also follow suit, some office-bearers of the party have also put in their papers.

Trouble is also brewing in the Udhampur Congress where supporters of party leader Ashwani Khajuria and Youth Congress leader R.S. Pathania are peeved over the denial of ticket to their leaders.

Interestingly, the BJP and the Panthers Party too are facing revolt in Udhampur district after the announcement of their candidates. Rebel Panthers leaders Balwan Singh and Hans Raj have decided to contest as independent candidates from Reasi and Chenani, respectively. Similarly, senior BJP leader Surinder Chand Khajuria has decided to contest as an independent from Ramnagar.

The National Conference too faces rebellion in some pockets. NC leader Choudhary Talib Hussain is contesting as an independent from Rajouri against the party's official nominee, Mohd Aslam Khan, who won the seat in the last elections. Another NC leader, Chaudhary Bashir Naaz, has deserted the party and is now contesting from Poonch on the Congress ticket.

Mendhar (Poonch), November 6
Here development remains an unfulfilled dream. Poor infrastructure and lack of basic amenities still haunt people in Mendhar, who hoped the previous Congress-PDP combine would bring in some relief.

The Mendhar constituency, in Poonch district, goes to poll in the first phase on November 17, which could see a tight finish between two major parties, the National Conference and the PDP.

The NC and the PDP may think the autonomy and self-rule cards may lure voters, people’s mood indicate that these parties have to promise more than just politics.

There are 77,853 voters in this assembly constituency of which 39,023 are male and 38,830 are female.

A total of 21 candidates, highest in Poonch, have filed their nomination papers for the constituency but the main challenge would be between the former MLA and senior NC leader Javed Rana, who represented this constituency in previous Assembly, and former minister and senior PDP leader Rafiq Khan, who won the seat in 1977 and 1983 elections.

The Congress has fielded Poonch district president Abdul Majid Khan who is not likely to make much a difference instead of eating into the votes of the PDP candidate.

Rana (from Gujjar community), who comes from the Kalaban area, is popular in Mankote block comprising Chattral and Kalaban and enjoys a support of his community, who roughly form 40 per cent of the voters.

PDP leader Rafiq Khan (from Pahari community), who is from Harni, has got a support in Balakote and his native area and is likely to get good Pahari votes, who form around 60 per cent of the voters here.

Abdul Majid Khan, who is from the Ari Saroti area is likely to get votes in the lower Mendhar area comprising Sakhi Maidan, Trana and Chunga.

As far as people are concerned, they would prefer implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) Scheme in majority of the villages and execution of construction of roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in most of the inaccessible villages.

In Balakote, one of the border blocks, which existed as a tehsil before 1965, voters want the status back to the area.

Jammu, November 6
The Congress, if voted to power, may set up a delimitation commission to redraw the Assembly constituencies, said party sources quoting the manifesto, scheduled to be released next week.

Party sources said the Congress has also pledged to implement the recommendations of the 6th Pay Commission in Jammu and Kashmir and introduce either an employment package or stipend for the unemployed educated youth.

The sources said since the demand for the constitution of delimitation commission was there in the poll manifestos of the Panthers Party and the BJP, the Congress, which banks on the support of voters in the Jammu region, had no other alternative but to include the issue in its manifesto.

The Congress had earlier supported a resolution in the state legislature in 2002, which extended the embargo on delimitation till 2026.

In the light of the continued public uproar against regional discrimination, the Congress, in its manifesto, has promised to undo it.

It has said if need was felt, the state constitution could be amended to guarantee equal devolution of funds and political power among the three regions of the state.

It has also promised development of all the three regions for which a comprehensive policy would be evolved, said the sources.

Though the party has been miser in giving tickets to women, the Congress has, in its poll manifesto, committed itself to women empowerment.

In the poll manifesto, the Congress has touched the issue pertaining to development in the sectors of industry, agriculture, education and health, the sources said.

It has promised better road connectivity, drinking water and electricity supply besides optimum utilisation of river water for power generation.

It has also supported the ongoing India-Pakistan dialogue for promoting better ties between the two neighbouring countries.

The sources said the Congress has also favoured dialogue with all sections of political spectrum in the state for resolving various political and economic issues.

Srinagar, November 6
A virtual state of curfew prevailed in Srinagar, especially in sensitive areas of downtown, as the authorities geared up to prevent people from taking part in the separatist-called "Jamia chalo" protest.

The Coordination Committee, an amalgam of different separatist groups, has renewed the Jamia chalo call for tomorrow, setting up a confrontation with the authorities. It being a Friday tomorrow, hundreds of Muslims would go to mosques to offer afternoon prayers, and separatist would try to use this to their advantage. Jamia Masjid attracts thousands of devotees on Fridays but it is clear that the police is unlikely to let separatists make their march a success.

Though there were no announcements from the administration, posse of vehicles carrying securitymen were seen moving in the city since early morning and wary residents of the summer capital, too familiar with such drills, also kept to their houses.

"There is restriction on the movement of people. But there is no curfew. We are taking precautions," a senior police official said. The administration has imposed Section 144, CrPC, in the city as a precautionary measure, he said.

Hundreds of troops were spread across the downtown, which houses almost half of the city's population and has a rather restive population as far the government is concerned, and locals said they were almost forced to keep indoors. "We were not allowed to move around. It's as good as curfew," Mohd Alamgir, a resident of Nowhatta, said.

All private establishments, including schools and banks, were closed and government offices also wore a deserted look as employees avoided venturing out.

The police had yesterday put Hurriyat (M) leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is also head priest of the Jamia mosque, under house arrest. Most of his colleagues are already in jail while Syed Ali Shah Geelani, whose influence has grown in the valley over the past few months, is recuperating in Delhi after a surgery.

UNI adds: The police and the CRPF today resorted to a lathi charge to disperse processionists in the downtown city, who were trying to march to Jamia Masjid.

Official sources said people at Rainawari took to the streets, raising ''pro-freedom slogans'' despite undeclared curfew in the area.

When they were challenged and asked to disperse by the security forces, deployed in large numbers, they pelted stone at the latter.

Meanwhile, the Kupwara, Budgam and Baramulla district magistrates imposed curbs under Section 144, CrPC, on November 6 and 7 to foil any attempt to take out processions.

Jammu, November 6
The fight over the management of Sikh shrines has intensified in the state, as two Sikh bodies --- Gurdwara Prabandhak Board (GPB) and District Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (DGPC) --- have locked horns over the issue.

The rift started last year when the DGPC filed a writ petition in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court challenging the order passed by the GPB president, who removed the committee members and constituted an ad hoc committee to look after the affairs of gurdwaras in Jammu district.

Few days ago, the high court set aside the order and ruled that the removal was not in accordance with the rules. The court thus allowed the petitioners to hold the office.

Foreseeing the forthcoming elections and two major religious functions coming before the election, both the factions wanted that the religious stage should remain with them as these were important religious occasions and lakhs of Sikh sangat was expected to attend these functions organised by the committee.

The DGPC members, who were reinstated by the court, despite adopting the legal procedure of resuming charge, adopted a ‘shortcut’ method and broke open the office and forcibly entered the office premises.

The members immediately issued a statement alleging that that the DGPC Jammu was un-democratically dismissed by Tarlochan Singh Wazir, president State Gurdwara Parbandhak Board, who was also NC MLC and party candidate from prestigious Gandhi Nagar Assembly constituency.

The committee also stated that the high court had directed the GPB president not to interfere into the working of the DGPC, which has already reinstated ex-DSP Jagjit Singh Jagga as president and his team.

Jagjit Singh is the BSP candidate from Marh constituency.

In the evening, the other group supported by Tarlochan Singh Wazir, MLC and headed by HS Raina, the head of ad hoc committee reached the premises and recaptured the DGPC office.

This faction alleged that the board observed malfunctioning, mismanagement and non-compliance and misappropriation of gurdwara funds and thus called explanations from the DGPC president Jagjit Singh and members but no response was given and after following due process the committee was dismissed.

The order of the board was challenged in the high court and the court’s decision came on November 1, however, the tenure of the committee has already expired on October 31, the ad hoc committee president said.

The members of ad hoc committee also filed an FIR against the faction headed by Jagjit Singh for taking the law in hands and breaking open the office of the DGPC.

Jammu, November 6
Campaigning for the phase I Assembly elections in bordering Poonch district, People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti cautioned voters not to get swayed by the “evil designs” of political parties, who had devised a strategy of dividing people for political advantage.

Mufti exhorted the people to give a befitting reply to such forces that were dividing the masses in the name of caste and communities.

“For years together, some vested interests have been exploiting sentiments of the innocent people and it is high time to teach lesson to such forces as they are responsible for their backwardness,” she said yesterday at the series of public meetings in Surankote and Mendhar constituencies in support of party candidates Mumtaz Bukhari and Rafiq Hussain Khan.

She promised that the PDP had promised to disband notorious STF and to violation of human rights at any cost.

Lambasting the National Conference (NC) for betraying the people for the lust of power, Mufti said, “'We are not for getting power by sacrificing wishes and aspirations of the people of the state.” “The PDP, through its policies and programmes, convinced both India and Pakistan to take confidence building measures (CBMs) and accelerate peace process in the sub-continent,” she asserted during her tour in bordering areas of Jammu, where polls are scheduled for November 17. — UNI

Jammu, November 6
The BJP today alleged that some political parties were violating the model code of conduct by “using official machinery” for election purposes.

The party has also lodged a strong protest with Governor N.N. Vohra in this connection.

Addressing a joint press conference here, state BJP president Ashok Khajuria, senior leaders Chaman Lal Gupta and Nirmal Singh condemned the state administration for “being lenient towards a particular group and letting it use official machinery for the political activities regarding the election.”

“The state government had promised free and fair election in the state, but such activities raise a question mark over its credibility,” said Khajuria.

He alleged that some local officials were “deliberately posted” at certain places in Akhnoor, Chhamb, Gandhinagar, Jammu East and Jammu West so that a “favourable atmosphere be created for the candidates fielded by certain parties.”

“We are preparing a list of such officers which we will send to the Election Commission soon,” he said.

He urged the Governor to look into the matter at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Nirmal Singh dismissed the charges over the party’s ticket allotment and advocated the party high command’s decision to allot tickets to the people having bright winning prospects.

Meanwhile, to gear up for the upcoming Assembly election, the state leadership of the BJP today opened a new office premises at the posh Green Belt Park area of Gandhi Nagar locality in Jammu.

The office was inaugurated by state BJP president Ashok Khajuria.

Rajouri, November 6
Sixty-seven candidates remained in fray after the scrutiny of nominations as the district election authorities rejected forms of seven candidates of the total nominations of 74 candidates who had filed nominations for the four Assembly segments of Rajouri district.

There are four constituencies in Rajouri district, Rajouri, Darhal, Kalakote and Nowshera for which elections are to be held in the second phase (on November 23) of the seven phase elections in the state.

For the four constituencies in Rajouri district, of the 100 nomination forms issued by the election authorities, 74 candidates had filed their nominations out of which seven nominations were rejected by the election authorities today on the day of scrutiny of nomination papers.

For Rajouri constituency, five nominations were rejected, while for Darhal, nomination papers of two candidates were rejected. No nominations were rejected for Kalakote and Nowshera constituency.

Those candidates whose nominations were rejected by the election authorities include Bashir Hussain (Independent) and Mirza Muhammad Amin Malik (covering candidate for PDP candidate) from Darhal constituency, Ghulam Mustafa and Muhammad Akmal Khan (both independent candidates), Muhammad Khaliq (covering candidate for BSP candidate), Iftikhar Ali Dar (covering candidate for Congress candidate) and Yograj Sharma (covering candidate for BJP candidate) for Rajouri constituency.

Jammu, November 6
Supporters of two rival candidates - Congress candidate Thakur Puran Singh and aspirant for the Congress ticket from Darhal Iqbal Malik (who did not get the same) clashed outside the office of the returning officer for the Darhal Assembly segment, near Children Park, in Rajouri town on the last date of filing nomination papers.

The supporters first exchanged fists and blows and, later, resorted to stone pelting even as the district administration had failed to put in place proper security outside the returning officer’s office. The police had to resort to mild cane charge and fire 2-3 gunshots in air to disperse the fighting rival supporters. Sources in the district hospital said eight supporters sustained injuries in the clashes.

Meanwhile, in what looks to be a huge jolt to the Congress and the National Conference ahead of the elections to the Rajouri Assembly segment to be held on November 23, two of the senior leaders from the parties and Gujjar leaders Choudhary Qamar Hussian and Choudhary Talib Hussain resigned from the memberships of the parties and filed their nominations as independent candidates yesterday.

Choudhary Qamar is a senior Congress leader-turned rebel and had contested from this Assembly segment in the last election as a Congress candidate, Choudhary Talib Hussain is a Senior NC leader-turned rebel and former MP from the Jammu-Poonch parliamentary constituency. Both these leaders enjoy good support among the voters here, and are likely to change the equations here.

Senior PDP leader and one of its founder member Muhammad Sharief Tariq resigned from the party and has filed nomination as independent candidate.

The Congress and the NC have fielded Shabir Khan and Muhammad Aslam Khan, respectively, whereas the PDP has fielded Gujjar leader Tassaduq from this constituency.

Jammu, November 6
When the road work started, they felt happy. But soon they realised that the authorities are hardly bothered about the completion of the project.

Two years have passed and residents of Ganesh Vihar have made countless requests and representations to the authorities but till date nothing positive have come out.

Rajesh Jasrotia, a resident, said the road was left unattended after covering it with stones. So it’s difficult to commute on this incomplete road. Patients and old persons suffer the worst, he said.

Earlier, for a long period the road was covered with soil. The road was full of pits, puddles and holes.

Another resident, Babu Ram, said few days back, workers came with tools and machineries to lay the road. However, all of a sudden they left the place, he added.

Officials of the department concerned said they had gone to lay the road but people agitated when they objected to illegal encroachment of road by some houses and kiosks.

They said work would be resumed soon with the help of the police and municipal corporation after removing the encroachment.

Meanwhile, residents commuting on the Rajpura road also had a similar complaint. They say bad condition of the road makes everyday traveling a harrowing experience.

Jammu, November 6
Enthusiast over the success of train service in the valley, the Railways will run the trains from Qazigund to Barmulla in Kashmir by making 120-km long railway track fully operational by December.

“The Railways will run trains on 120 km of rail track from Qazigund (Anantnag district) to Barmulla district by December 1 and work on the remaining track in the valley would be completed by the end of this month,” a senior northern railway official said.

Out of the 120 km-long rail track between Qazigund and Baramulla, the train is currently running from Rajwansher in Budgam district to Anantnag, covering a distance of 70 km.

“We have kept November 30 as the deadline for completion of the railway track from Qazigund to Barmulla - a distance of 119 km and make trains run on this section in the first week of December,” he said.

“In this direction, we have sent 400 gang men during the past few days for laying tracks in 34-km Pattan to Baramulla rail section and Anantnag-Qazigund belt on war-footing,” he said, adding the gang men were drawn from Patna, Ferozpur, and New Delhi Railway divisions to supplement the work being undertaken by the Ircon International.

The Ircon - which is instrumental in setting up infrastructure in the valley - had also started process of construction of several railway stations in Kashmir rail section and tenders had already been floated so that security infrastructure comes up in the valley, said the official.in service was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 11. It became an instant hit as over 74,000 persons took rides fetching over Rs 7.5 lakh to the Railways in less than three weeks. — PTI

Srinagar, November 6
Facing the first rail-roko agitation in the Kashmir valley recently since the train service was introduced last month, the Northern Railway today clarified that only such families are eligible for jobs whose more than 75 per cent land has been acquired.

The clarification came from the Railways after Governor N.N. Vohra took up the issue pertaining to the process of jobs to such families whose holdings have been acquired for laying the track and creating the railway infrastructure in the Qazigund-Baramulla section.

According to an official spokesman, the Northern Railways have informed the Governor that only such families were eligible for jobs whose more than 75 per cent land had been acquired.

The Railways further clarified that only one job was to be provided per family. It said only the owner of the land or his wife or son or daughter were eligible for employment in such cases.

The age limit for service in Group 'D' has been fixed between 18-30 years, with a minimum qualification of 8th standard. — UNI