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| Electoral prospects of Sonia Congress | | Jammu's Political Scene | | Rustam
JAMMU, Mar 12: The Congress performed exceptionally well in the 2004 and 2009 general elections in Jammu province and won both the Lok Sabha seats. Madan Lal Sharma won consecutively from the Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary Constituency and Lal Singh from Udhampur-Doda constituency. The BJP was the runners up in both the elections. Can the Congress replicated 2004 and 2009 in 2014 winning both the seats? The political situation as it prevails today in this province suggests that the task of the Congress this time would be quite difficult. Several factors are working against the Congress party. Apart from the performance of the sitting MPs, which has not inspired many in province for obvious reasons, the Modi factor and the dismal performance of the Congress-led UPA at the Centre and the NC-led coalition Government in the state are working against the Congress party.
The people across the state are unhappy with the NC-Congress coalition Government as it has failed to come up to their expectations, as also because the State Government perpetrated injustice after injustice on the people of Jammu province and rejected their democratic demands like the constitution of delimitation commission, fair share in the service sector, adequate funds for developmental activities, empowerment of refugees, SCs, STs, OBCs and daughters of the state, to mention only a few. The divisive policies of the NC-Congress coalition Government and its hostile attitude towards the Army and the internal security-related laws like the AFSPA have further driven the people of the state not only from the NC but also from the Congress.
On Tuesday, one sitting Congress MP asked his party workers to popularize the pro-poor decisions and achievements of UPA Government and suggested that such a campaign will help the party in the elections. But the problem is that the people throughout the country are seething with anger against the UPA Government. The reasons are high food prices, inflation, corruption, scams and scandals and so on. The UPA Government is being described as the most corrupt, irresponsible, anti-people and anti-democratic. An impression has gone down that it was not Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who was actually in the driver's seat; Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi ran the Government in the manner they wanted. This formulation is based on truth. The fact of the matter is that the people have turned against the Congress-led UPA of which the NC is also a part.
The Congress high command is aware of the prevailing political situation in Jammu province and that's why it has not announced the names of the Congress candidates for the Jammu seats. It may repeat Madan Lal Sharma who belongs to Saif-ud-Din Soz camp, but nothing can be said about Lal Singh. Infact, there are reports that the Congress high command is thinking in terms of fielding Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha constituency hoping that he may win this seat. Notwithstanding his stature, it is difficult to say if he would be able to turn table on his opponents. Will Azad agree to take the plunge at a time when things are so uncertain? It is difficult political question. Things would become clear anytime from now and one has to wait.
All in all, it can be said that the Congress is in a difficult situation with even its cadres and supporters conceding that their party is likely to bite dust. |
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