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| Gujjars hold key in Poonch by-election | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Dec 6:Voters belonging to the Gujjar ethnic tribe,hold the key,in the Poonch byelection where the polling is scheduled to be held on December 12.With over 26,000 voters out of the total of 96,000 in the constituency Gujjars could have been the deciding factor had they been able to decide unanimously their candidate.It was not the case because even the Gujjar Front failed to evolve a consensus.
During a recent meeting of the Gujjar Front leaders and workers in Pooch initially it had been decided that the tribe should support the Congress candidate,Mr Jehangir Mir on the plea that it was under the Congress led Government that,under SRO-294,conceded their demand for increase in the reserved quota for the scheduled Tribes in the recruitment in Government services and promotion.
Later a section of Gujjars announced their support for the National Conference candidate,Mr Aijaj Jan,because they feel that the National Conference leadership has been been supporting their cause and case. The latest reports indicate that the Gujjar votes will split among the congress rebel candidate,Yash Pal Sharma,Aijaj Jan of National Conference and Jehangir Mir of the Congress.
With this development the Congress rebel candidate and the one fielded by the National Conference are said to be enjoying an edge over the Congress candidate.Though the tie is triangular the ultimate battle may be between Yash Pal sharma,who had lost in 2002 by 641 votes,and Aijaj Jan of the National Conference. As far as the Congress and the National Conference candidates were concerned senior party leaders,including ministers and MP,Madan Lal Sharma,NC President Omar Abdullah,and MLC,Devinder Singh Rana,have been campaigning in their favour. Yash Pal Sharma is secretly supported by disgruntled Congress leaders in the constituency. He seems to bank on the support of those voters who had cast their votes in his favour in 2002 poll. What may be his Achilees heel is the sharp split in the Congress vote bank.If Sharma had lost 2002 poll by 641 votes he was able to give a tough fight to the NC candidate because then there was no split in the Congress vote bank.(KIP)
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