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| BJP’s risky drive on safe pitch | | BOOKING FACES: JAITLY & CO. IN JAMMU | | ZAFAR CHOUDHARY
JAMMU, Oct 6: A war of nerves has broken out in the rank and file of the state unit of BJP as a high powered central team has arrived in the town to hold consultations for nomination of party candidates to the forthcoming assembly elections.
At least one former MLA (who won 2002 elections on JSM ticket) and an active member of Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti are being considered by the BJP for party ticket and efforts are being made to bring all like minded parties on board for a consolidated contest against Congress in ‘safe’ constituencies of four districts.
The team led by BJP general Secretary Arun Jaitly and comprising among others former Himchal Pradesh Chief Minister, Shanta Kumar and co-incharge of Jammu and Kashmir affairs, RP Singh, is engaged in hectic consultations to study the candidate profiles and get feedback from the ground. After the mid-summer political turmoil which rocked entire state on Amarnath land row, BJP believes that it is the best placed party among all parties to face elections in present scenario.
The task before Jaitly’s team is to consolidate the political ground activated by agitation and avoid slicing of vote bank. Observers believe that if candidates of all like minded parties, particularly which supported the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti during agitation, joined the poll fray separately it may well help Congress in taking away key seats on the platter. The BJP is making all out efforts to reach a consensus with all parties including both factions of Shiv Sena and Jammu State Morcha. Therefore, the process of consultations is going on with other parties and groups as well as within the party.
Interestingly, the process of consultations this time is far tougher than it should normally have been in election exercises as the Amarnath land agitation has thrown up more leaders than the workers. All those politically affiliated people who played an active role during the agitation are now eying a seat in the legislative assembly. Observers believe that BJP has better competitive prospects this time than ever but the job of selecting candidates is equally tough.
“We have a bitter experience of 2002 elections when division of vote bank reduced out tally from a significant opposition to negligible and this time we are careful about keeping the support intact”, said a BJP leader as aspirants competed against other in putting their claim before the central team. “We are making efforts to convince all groups and leaders that a united face is the only way of empowering Jammu”, said the BJP leaders who added that the intervention of Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti is also being sought as forthcoming assembly are crucial to the political renaissance of Jammu.
Sources said that while central team is trying to find out ways minimizing the competition by taking all parties on board, there is a stiff competition within BJP on the key constituencies, particularly in Jammu city, where parties is this time expecting a return. The party held three city constituencies –Jammu East, Jammu West and Gandhi Nagar in 1996 elections, but all were lost in 2002 due to division of vote bank between BJP, JSM and Shiv Sena etc. Independents and BJP dissidents also played an equal spoilsport.
This time, besides a dozen odd aspirants in each constituency of Jammu City, the party heavyweight Chaman Lal Gupta, City Mayor Kavinder Gupta, state president Ashok Khajuria are the key men in reckoning. Dr Jatinder Singh, the spokesperson of SAYSS, is also reported to be actively considering contesting assembly elections from Gandhi Nagar constituency. Interestingly, Gandhi Nagar constituency is one such segment in Jammu where there is a tough competition between aspirants. Besides Chaman Lal Gupta, the former state president Dr Nirmal Singh is also reported to have given him mind for Gandhi Nagar constituency.
Sources pointed out that in view of tough on-ground competition, Chaman Lal Gupta is eyeing at Jammu West constituency. However, the public mood suggest that electorate of Jammu West is strongly in favour of having a local candidate. At least for two successive terms in the past an outsider had been elected in the Jammu West. This is not the case with BJP only even the Congress supporters look forward to having a local candidate in Jammu West.
Sources said that former MLA from Bishnah, Ashwani Sharma is being considered by the BJP for party ticket. Ashwani, a promising young Congress leader with formidable clout, had joined the JSM on being denied ticket by parent party in 2002 elections. However, post-2002, the equations could not work well and there was an eventual division of the JSM. It may be mentioned here that the JSM recently announced its candidate for Bishnah. In such scenario, the JSM may go tough negotiation if BJP sought its support for a united alliance. |
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