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| Congress in self fighting mode | | No ‘Plan B’: Rebels almost matching official nominees | | ZAFAR CHOUDHARY
JAMMU, Nov 24: With notification for five phases already issued and most of the parties having declared their manifestos and candidates, the electioneering has fast picked up across the state; parties are locked in tough contest with rivals but there is one party which is apparently fighting with itself –Congress.
Despite Amarnath land row which made a huge dent into its image and organizational stability, the Congress was still a force to reckon with but only it could have controlled its ‘House’. After facing an embarrassing rebellion in first two phases, the party is poised for stiffer challenge in the subsequent phases posed by its own men.
The tragedy of Congress is that it’s all Jammu and Kashmir related decisions are taken in New Delhi based on ‘inputs’ which may be mere bad mouthing of one faction of party against the other and vice versa. This time in selection of candidates for the assembly elections the dice appears to have been loaded against former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad except for a couple of constituencies where selection has been rather mindless and without taking into account the ground realities.
In view of decisions taken in isolation and with complete exclusivity, the Congress has either potential rebels in most of the constituencies or it has left the dissidence surcharged to an extent that the disappointed aspirants have entered into league with opponents to ensure defeat of official nominees. In the constituencies where both these elements are missing, the rebellion is symbolic which potentially damages party wave in other segments.
Latest to challenge the high command decision is the former Minister Babu Singh who filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate from Kathua constituency today. Babu had contested and won elections from Kathua constituency in 2002 as independent and later joined the Congress. Seen as a loyalist of former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad he joined Mufti ministry in 2003 and continued as a Minister till fall of Azad government. He was one of the only few Congress aligned or Congress legislators who did not face axe from Ministry when Azad took over reigns in 2005.
For Kathua constituency, the Congress has chosen sitting Member Parliament Chowdhary Lal Singh whose wife Kanta Andotra is seeking re-election from neighbouring Basohli constituency. Lal Singh though is a strong candidate for Kathua but the party apparently could not factor in Babu Singh who has now posed challenge.
Billawar, another constituency of Kathua, has two strong Congress rebels –Balbir Singh and Pankaj Dogra. Both have been the men of organization. The party has given ticket to Dr Manohar Lal who had won 2002 election as independent candidate. Interestingly, Manohar had joined the Congress as an associate but later dissociated when he felt ignored in the party for a long while. One occasion last year he had even issued even a public statement declaring that he has “nothing to do with the Congress”.
The recently released Congress list has left many others fuming who are considering options of contesting either as independent candidates or engineering defeat of the official nominees. On being denied party ticket, if a candidate drops options of contesting independently, seeing defeat of the official nominee becomes a matter of its political survival as otherwise he loses the chance of getting a ticket in future.
A close loyalist of Congress veteran Mangat Ram Sharma, Shiv Dev Singh has been denied ticket twice for Nagrota constituency. Party has repeated Abdul Hamid Chowdhary from Nagrota and Shiv Dev has no hesitations public. He is now headed for New Delhi to lodge a protest with the party high command before mulling next course of action. Shiv Dev represented Nagrota constituency in 1987.
In Marh constituency, Congress strongman Bhalwan Singh has been left shell shocked by the party high command. Dharam Pal Sharma, who once represented Akhnoor constituency, has been fielded by the Congress in Marh. Bhalwan has gone public with his strong reservations against the party decision and he is also headed for New Delhi to explore possibilities of reconsideration.
Out of seven constituencies in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, which went to polls in first two polls, the Congress had rebels in three constituencies –Rajouri, Darhal and Kalakote. All of them have given a formidable contest.
The biggest embarrassment yet for the Congress has been thrown by its former president Ghulam Rasool Kar. The aging octogenarian has defied the party decision to contest election from Sopore constituency in North Kashmir. |
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