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| Political din rises ahead of ULB polls | | |
ET Plus Report
JAMMU, Apr 12: With urban local body polls around the corner, political temperatures have started surging across the State and before the announcement of poll dates the political parties in the State have started measuring their swords in order to cut their rivals to size and consolidate their vote bank.
On one hand the main opposition parties are on the streets and highlighting the shortcomings of the coalition Government and on the other hand the State Government has already kick started its campaign among the masses with its performance report card. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is leading the team of spirited leaders from the front and making all possible efforts to counter the misinformation campaign.
Full of confidence Omar is seeking people’s support to carry on with the growth agenda for the welfare of the State and empowerment of masses at the grass roots. Behind the curtains even the alliance partners in the State are engaged in a tug of war in order to establish one-upmanship over each other.
Re-appointment of PCC chief Saif-ud-Din Soz is likely to increase friction between the alliance partners as the top brass of the National Conference pay little attention towards him and consider view point of the Congress high command as the final word. The loyalists of Ghulam Nabi Azad are also feeling sidelined under the new dispensation adding to the unrest within the Congress circles too.
The recent verbal spat between the two Congress Cabinet Ministers has already exposed the fault lines between the Congress party. PDP on its part is desperate to expose the poor track record of the alliance Government in office and is hoping to cash in on the anti incumbency. Absence of opposition in Jammu is good news for the Congress party as the party is aiming to consolidate its base in Jammu region. The coming local bodies polls would be treated as semifinal before the big finals in 2014.
On the other hand senior National Conference leader Dr Mustafa Kamaal is unsparing when it comes to cornering the Congress party over its handling of affairs of J&K. He is issuing statements and attacking Congress party with alarming frequency much to the discomfiture of the State Congress leadership. At personal level even though Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah share a strong bond but on ground zero the coordination is missing between the alliance partners.
Recent statements emanating from both the camps clearly indicates that the possibility of entering in to a pre-poll alliance looks bleak as envisaged by Omar Abdullah himself. Absence of alliance between the Congress and National Conference would give handle to the PDP to exploit their differences among the masses. At present no party is willing to enter in to pre-poll alliance and transfer their traditional vote bank. The outcome of the local bodies polls would determine whether it is advantage to Omar Abdullah or not before he braces up for the litmus test ahead in 2014 Assembly polls.
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