Neha
JAMMU, Oct 31: A few marginal outfits on Wednesday floated what they called "People's United Front (PUF) with CPI-M state secretary M Y Tarigami as its chairman. Tarigami is a two-time MLA from Kulgam, Kashmir. He made his entry into the assembly in 1996, courtesy: The National Conference. The other constituents of the so-called Third Front are the Samajwadi Party (SP), Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the CPI. Former member of Parliament, Abdul Rashid Kabuli, and MLA from Khansahib, Kashmir, Hakim Mohammad Yasin, also joined the Third Front. In fact, Tarigami of the CPI-M, Sheikh Abdul Rehman of the SP, Sanjay Saraf of the LJP, Abdul Rehman Tukru of the CPI, Hakim Mohammad Yasin and Abdul Rashid Kabuli got together yesterday at Sher-e-Kashmir Park, Srinagar, and announced the formation of the PUF. While the CPI, CPI-M, SP and the LJP are only marginal outfits having no influence anywhere in the state, Kabuli is a non-existent political leader. As for Yasin, militant-turned-politician and former minister, his area of influence is limited to a few pockets in the Khansahib assembly constituency.
The Third Front or the PUF is unlikely to click, as the situation in the state is such, as also because there are no takers for any of these so-called political leaders. In Kashmir, this front has to face the three established political parties, NC, PDP and the Congress and in Jammu, they have to face BJP, JKNPP, Congress, NC and the PDP. The battle lines in Kashmir are already drawn between the PDP and NC with the Congress also in the reckoning in three to four constituencies.
Similarly, the battle lines are also drawn in Jammu province. There are 24 constituencies in Jammu province where the contest will be between the BJP and the Congress with the JKNPP also a big player in at least three Assembly constituencies - Samba, Ramnagar and Udhampur. In Bishnah Assembly constituency, the sitting MLA Ashwini Sharma is a force to reckon with. He has been winning the seat comfortably since 1996 and it is difficult to defeat him, as he has done Justice with his constituency.
There are 13 other constituencies in Jammu province where the contest would be more or less triangular. The case in point is the Muslim-majority constituencies in the erstwhile Doda and Udhampur districts and Poonch and Rajouri districts. The Congress is strong in the erstwhile Doda district because of Ghulam Nabi Azad factor and it has also some support-base in a couple of segments in the erstwhile Udhampur district. Besides, the Congress is also somewhat strong in at least two out of seven Assembly constituencies in Poonch-Rajouri border belt. As for the NC, it has its some support-base in at least three to four constituencies. The PDP is also a force in a couple of constituencies.
As for the newly-founded Third Front, it has no leader worth its name who can upset the applecart of any of the established political groups both in Kashmir region and Jammu province. And why should the people in Kashmir give votes to the third front? For, its agenda is no different from that of the NC and PDP. Likewise, why should the people of Jammu province tilt towards the Third Front? For, the agenda of this front is as divisive and as pro-Pakistan as that of the NC and similar other "mainstream" outfits in Kashmir. The truth is that the Third Front will remain a non-starter across the state. |
