Bashir Assad
Srinagar, May 18: Though the unexpected realities are part of the electoral process, the shocking defeat of NC President Dr. Farooq Abdullah has certainly set out the course of political transformation in Jammu and Kashmir.
And why not, the rout of National Conference has already warned of the tsunami that lies ahead.
And mind it, seeking feedback from general public " gupkar@gmail. com" the email address of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, cannot save the already cracked NC forts.
"Ab pashtaney se kya hoga jab chidya chug gayee khet". Chief Minister since yesterday is seeking feedback from the public on electoral setback, his party suffered in Lok Sabha elections. "I'd like to hear from you as to the reasons for the enormous setback NC has faced in these elections," Omar wrote on twitter last night. "I've started the process of introspection & am listening to voices within the party but I need to hear from people other than colleagues," Twitted Omar. He has yet again failed to read the writing on the wall for his party, the National Conference, and the Sheikh family.
Instead of asking for feedback from the public he should have self introspected taking clue from the fact that from the days of Begum Akbar Jehan, the late wife of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, founder of National Conference, Abdullahs have never lost the Srinagar parliamentary constituency in the party's long electoral history. He (Omar) himself entered the Indian parliament through the gates of Srinagar. And it is he as the chief minister of the state who really disturbed the electoral fortunes of his party because he failed the people of the state whom his party always claimed to have represented.
The victory of Mufti Sayed's PDP on 15-segment Srinagar LS constituency , beyond the comprehension of NC people, has scripted a shocking result for the party this time. This Lok Sabha constituency has paved way for the formation of National Conference government in J&K after 2008 assembly elections and sent senior Abdullah to the parliament. What hurts National Conference badly is that the party lost to the PDP in the assembly segments which have a history of voting largely for them like Kangan and Charari Sharief. But what is hurting them even more badly is that they lost six assembly segments to PDP in Srinagar city despite the boycott. While Chrar and Kangan rejected Abdullahs, the Srinagar assembly segments gave them a huge setback. Of the 15 assembly segments, the National Conference had lost 11 by late Friday afternoon (May 16) . Farooq realizing that the fort had been breached, kept himself confined to his Gupkar residence and did not utter a word on his defeat. Farooq too might be holding his son responsible for the debacle while ignoring his own misdeeds. The margin of the defeat, 42280, would have left the National Conference's legislators speechless -
Tariq Hameed Karra of PDP polled 157923 votes while as senior Abdullah bagged 115643 votes. In total, the constituency polled 312212 votes.
In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, senior Abdullah had secured a lead of more than 25000 votes from Kangan and Chrar-e-sharief thereby winning the elections by around 35000 votes. |
