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| NC-Cong mulling 'joint candidate' against BJP-PDP | | Anantnag Assembly bypoll | | Early Times Report
Jammu, May 27: As Anantnag Assembly constituency in South Kashmir gears up for another poll battle, opposition National Conference and Congress have started drawing up their strategy to give ruling PDP and BJP a fight with both the parties mulling putting up a joint candidate in answer to BJP's decision to support its ruling ally for the election. The bypoll for the Assembly seat will be held on June 19.
Sources said while it is almost certain that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will herself contest from the seat apparently in order to make her entry into the Legislative Assembly, opposition National Conference and Congress are considering to contest the election jointly by putting up a mutually agreed upon candidate from either of the two parties. Sources said while Congress has already given feelers and indication to NC to this effect, the high command of NC is holding a formal meeting on Sunday in which it will gather feedback from senior party leaders on the decision of contesting the Assembly bypoll jointly, no matter it is a foregone conclusion that Mehbooba will win hands down this seat.
Sources further said while Congress has started its groundwork for the forthcoming election, in all probability it will be repeat of its previous candidate Hilal Ahmad Shah who contested against late Chief Minister and PDP's stalwart late Mufti Mohammad Syed in 2014 Assembly elections. Interestingly, while Mufti Mohamad Syed won the bypoll garnering 16983 votes, Hilal Shah who is considered to be a popular young Congress leader in the area was declared as runner up getting a sizable number of 10955 votes to his favour, sources said.
However, for the sake of procedural formalities, the party leadership has sent a list with few names as contenders to the High Command. "We expect approval for the name in a day or two but in case of party deciding to go together with NC, it may take few more days to take a final call on the candidate", said a senior Congress leader from Valley.
However, both the parties feel there is yearning among the ground level workers that they should put up a joint candidate for the bypoll as an answer to BJP chief having decided to support its alliance partner PDP. Pertinently, soon after the by poll date was announced, BJP national President Amit Shah made it clear that BJP will support PDP candidate. Though it was a pre decided thing that BJP will not contest the election on this seat, but Shah's announcement came as a formal post government formation strategy between the ruling partners which is likely to determine the future course of poll contesting pattern in the state, sources said as the opposition parties having gathered from the move of ruling parties. Pertinent to mention is that NC had put up a lesser known candidate Iftikhar Hussain Misger against PDP stalwart in 2014.
The bypoll was initially mooted to be held on May 16, but had to be deferred on the request of the state government, which contended before Election Commission that the law and order situation in Anantnag was not conducive, something which drew flak from the opposition at that time. |
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