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| Is Rajouri up for surprise? | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, Nov 18: Electoral battle is tightening up in Rajouri constituency, which is going to polls in the second phase on November 23, but no party is able to gauge its strength in this most keenly contested election.
Almost all constituencies of Rajouri district have been stormed by deserters but participation of heavyweights and old war horses has made the contest in Rajouri proper constituency quite interesting.
One significant feature of the present elections in Rajouri is rebellion in parties which has come as a blessing in disguise for this caste sensitive constituency. Including Rajouri proper, three constituencies of this district have always seen caste factor weighing heavily in the elections. It has always been Gujjar versus Pahari in the constituency ands the campaign around the caste egos have only got shriller over the years. However, the kind of contest which one sees this time leaves very little for the potentially dangerous caste politics to take over the credibility of candidates and programs of his parties.
Elections are mostly straight contests, triangular or at the most tetra-angular but there is no nearest minimum angle which can put the contest of Rajouri in. three major political parties –Peoples Democratic Party, National Conference and Congress –have the party rebels pitted against their official candidates. One independent and a BJP candidate may poll as many votes sufficient for not only raising eyebrows but keeping them raised for long.
Chowdhary Talib Hussain of National Conference, Qamar Hussain of Congress and Mohammad Sharief Tariq of the Peoples Democratic Party are in the fray in Rajouri. While the official candidates of these parties are: Aslam Khan, Shabir Khan and Master Tasadduq Hussain, respectively. There are as many rebels as official candidates. And there are as many Pahari stalwarts as Gujjar veterans.
There are at the most two ways of seeing this battle: either the voters take a wise and conscious decision and select a candidate with credibility and reputation or they divide votes among the ‘heavyweights’ and give a cake walk to dark horses.
BJP candidate Vibodh Gupta or anyone contesting from his party will never have a chance, to prove worth in elections, which multiple slicing of traditional vote banks have thrown up this time. An independent candidate Shahzad Khan too is surprise face in the race who is leaving the veterans surprised with one after the other election meeting.
National Conference president Omar Abdullah is done with his tour of constituency and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is rushing down on November 20. Top Congress leaders are yet to show up their face in the constituency. |
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