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| Prospect of PDP, BJP alliance keeping NC leadership awake in the night | | Omar feeling heat, wants pre-poll alliance with Cong | | Rustam
Jammu, Nov 19: National Conference (NC) working president and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is not very sure if his party would repeat even its 2008 performance in the upcoming elections to remain relevant in state politics. His problems are manifold. In Kashmir, he has to reckon with the PDP whose popularity graph is rising with each passing day. If the prevailing political situation across the Valley is any indication, then one can surely assume that the PDP this time would perform exceedingly well in the militant-infested Kashmir and the NC would further lose its politico-communal space to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti who have been working day and night to dislodge the Omar Abdullah Government. His other problem in the Kashmir valley is the Jamaat-e-Islami's recent announcement that its members and followers would not exercise their right to franchise. The poll boycott by the Jamaat-e-Islami would only help the PDP to improve further its position and inflict a crushing defeat on the NC. Omar Abdullah's uncle and NC additional general secretary has publicly admitted that the poll-boycott by the Jamaat-e-Islami would help the PDP in Kashmir. The fact of the matter is that the political situation in Kashmir valley is not favourable as far as the NC is concerned. It is not difficult to find the reasons which have made the NC and the NC-led coalition Government quite unpopular across the state.
Similarly, in Jammu province, the NC is also not standing on a strong wicket. Here it has to compete with the Congress which has its support-base in about a dozen assembly segments, the upbeat BJP, which too has its strong support-base in many assembly segments and the Panthers Party, which is a force to reckon within atleast three Assembly constituencies. The Modi factor is an additional powerful factor that would help the BJP perform exceptionally well.
Indeed, the NC, which was already very weak in Jammu province, is in for a severe drubbing and there should be no doubt about. It would be a great achievement if the NC repeats its 2008 performance in Jammu province. In 2008, the NC had won a paltry 6 seats out of 37 seats, Congress had won 13, BJP 11, Panthers Party 3, PDP 2 and two Independent candidates had won from Kathua and Bishnah constituencies.
Omar Abdullah knows the ground situation, as he also holds the Home portfolio. He knows that the NC is passing through a very critical phase. That's the reason he wants to forge a pre-poll alliance with the Congress both in Kashmir and Jammu provinces so that it could win a respectable number of seats. Only on November 17, he hinted at an alliance with the Congress. Addressing a public meeting at Kellar in Kashmir, he had said that the "NC's association with the UPA is firm and will continue in future". Infact, he had clearly hinted at forging an electoral alliance with the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and forming the next Government in the state jointly. However, it will be seen if he finally succeeds in his game plan. His difficulty is that the local Congress leadership is averse to the idea of a pre-poll alliance with the NC. It wants to keep all its options open. It wants to go with that party that emerges strong in the Kashmir valley and it could be even the PDP. |
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