Rustam
JAMMU, May 23: Just before the Lok Sabha elections, NC working president and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had made an unambiguous declaration that tickets for the Assembly elections would be given only on the basis of the performance of party leaders, including NC Ministers. He had told the party leaders, including Ministers, that it was imperative for them to win all the three Lok Sabha seats in the Valley. "Mandate for the Assembly elections would be given on the basis of performance of leaders in the Lok Sabha elections. Whoever performs well will get mandate in Assembly elections. We should treat Lok Sabha polls as the first inning of a cricket match. Assembly elections would act as second inning and everything lies on the performance of first inning," he had, in fact, told the party leaders, Ministers, district and block presidents in a meeting held in Srinagar before launching poll campaign.
Now that the NC has lost all the three seats, including that of party president Farooq Abdullah, to the PDP and Omar Abdullah himself failed to perform well even in his own Ganderbal Assembly constituency, it is time to ask the working president of the party if he would deny himself ticket for the Assembly election. Omar Abdullah, among other senior party leaders and Ministers, miserably failed his father in the Ganderbal Assembly constituency. The PDP candidate Tariq Hamid Karra led in this constituency.
It is important to note that the PDP led in as many as 12 Assembly segments out of 15 which are represented in the Assembly by the NC. The Assembly segments, which are represented in the Assembly by the NC and where the PDP candidate led include Sonawar, Hazratbal, Eidgah, Ganderbal, Budgam, Batmaloo, Kangan, Khansahib, Beerwah, Charar-e-Sharief, Zadibal and Chadoora. The NC could main lead only in Amira Kadal, Habba Kadal and Khanyar Assembly segments. These segments form part of the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency from where Farooq Abdullah contested and lost and lost miserably.
The PDP lead in all these 12 Assembly segments not only suggested that the people of Kashmir have lost their confidence in the NC-Congress coalition Government, but also clearly suggested that they have no confidence in the Abdullah dynasty. Remember, while Omar Abdullah failed to secure lead for his father in the Ganderbal constituency, his uncle and party's additional general secretary Mustafa Kamaal failed his brother Farooq Abdullah in Hazratbal Constituency. Kamaal represents the Hazratbal constituency in the Assembly. The question to be asked is: Will Omar Abdullah and Mustafa Kamaal, besides other senior party leaders whose performance was rather dismal, contest the coming Assembly elections? Infact, people have already started asking such questions. What a pity! |
