news details |
|
|
| Last-ditch effort of Congress in J&K | | Difficult situation | | Neha
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Nov 8: The Congress high command on Friday appointed senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad as the chairman of party's campaign committee for Assembly elections in J&K. Azad, who is also former JKPCC president, had also served the state as Chief Minister between November 2005 and July 2008 and had to resign under pressure from the alienated Jammu on July 7, 2008.
The Congress high command appointed Azad as the chairman of party's campaign committee believing such a strategy could help the Congress to put up a good show in the state where anti-NC and anti-Congress wind is blowing. It is a different story that neither Azad nor JKPCC chief Soz, who do not see eye to eye with each other, is contesting elections in the state. The Congress is contesting assembly elections across the state without forging pre-poll alliance with any political party, not even with the NC with which it has been sharing power since January 2009. At the same time, it has not overruled the possibility of forging post-poll alliance either with the NC or the PDP depending on its strength and strength of the NC and the PDP. Even on Saturday, Azad gave a hint that the Congress could work with the PDP in case it is needed.
The Congress and the NC had contested the Lok Sabha election jointly, but lost all the six Lok Sabha seats they contested, three each to the BJP and the PDP. It was the worst-ever defeat of the Congress and the NC. The nature of the defeat of the two parties could be determined from the fact that president of NC and then Union Minister Farooq Abdullah and then Union Minister Azad lost the election with a huge margin.
It is not the first occasion when Azad would lead the party in the state from the front in the assembly elections. This is third time in a row that he would be leading the party's campaign. In 2002, Azad as the JKPCC president had led the campaign and won 19 seats, 15 in Jammu and four in Kashmir. In Ladakh, the Congress' tally was zero. In 2008 also, it was Azad who led the party's campaign and the Congress won 17 seats, 13 in Jammu, three in Kashmir and one in Ladakh.
In other words, the maximum number of seats the Congress won in the state under the leadership was 19 out of a total of 87 seats. It is difficult to say if he would be able to repeat even his 2008 performance. Much water has flown down Jhelum, Indus and Chenab since then. Azad himself has lost the Lok Sabha election from the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Lok sabha constituency, considered his stronghold. Besides, the high command has fielded all the sitting MLAs most of whom do not enjoy popular support. It is not only its association with the NC that has marred the poll prospects of the Congress. Its image has also been dented by the media reports that the Congress ministers were knee-deep involved in corruption and scams. It would be interesting to see what Azad would do to salvage the situation for the party. As far as the public perception is concerned, the Congress, like the NC, has lost the game and his appoint is chairman of the election campaign committee is nothing but a last-ditch effort of the Congress to save its face in J&K. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
