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Azad's elevation to RS leaves state Cong go 'hunting' for CM candidate | | | Jehangir Rashid SRINAGAR, June 10: Elevation of former Union Health Minister and senior Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad as leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha has pushed the Congress party to the wall since there is no leader other than Azad who can be projected as Chief Ministerial candidate of the party in the Assembly elections of the state. Azad, who served as Chief Minister of the state between 2005 and 2008 was considered to be the ultimate choice of Congress party as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the Assembly elections slated to be held in October-November this year. However, his 'selection' as leader of opposition in the upper house in Parliament has put the Congress leadership in a tight corner. Sources within Congress said that since Azad was acceptable to most of Congress leaders and workers it remains to be seen who would be the next choice as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the party in the Assembly elections. They said that it would not be easy for the party leadership to decide on this issue given the fact that there is 'credibility' crisis among the state leaders of Congress. "Azad was acceptable to the Congress workers and leaders of both the Jammu and Kashmir divisions. The other leaders who can be considered as Chief Ministerial candidate of the party have one blemish or other against them. Most of them are involved in scandals, scams and controversies with people pointed fingers towards them and their role," said sources. Sources said that the other leaders who are not involved in any scandal or scam and could have been considered as Chief Ministerial candidate are not acceptable to workers and more so people of the two divisions. They said while some leaders are acceptable to the people in Jammu they are not acceptable to the masses in Kashmir and vice-versa. "Any of the leaders like Professor Saif-ud-Din Soz, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Tara Chand and Sham Lal Sharma can be projected as Chief Ministerial candidate of the party, but the problem is that they don't enjoy vote and support of people of both the regions of the state. As such the selection of Chief Ministerial candidate of the party is a big question and only the top leadership can give an answer in this regard," said sources. Sources said that since the Jammu based Congress Ministers, legislators and workers are in shock following the debacle in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the party leadership will think twice before projecting a Chief Ministerial candidate of the party from the Jammu division. In such a situation Kashmir based party leaders are more than keen to get the nod from the central leadership of the party. "It is quite possible that the central leadership of the party would not project anyone as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the party for the state Assembly elections. They used this practice in the Parliamentary elections and one cannot rule out this practice being repeated vis-a-vis the Assembly elections of Jammu and Kashmir," said sources. |
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