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| Jammu East: ‘Powerhouse’ of winter capital too has problems of power, water, sanitation | | |
RAMAN SHARMA
Jammu, Dec 20: Jammu East is perhaps one of the most prestigious constituencies going to polls in last phase of elections. May it be politics, culture, religion or bureaucracy, Jammu East is the nerve center. This constituency is home to the hallmarks of power –the Legislative Assembly Complex, the Civil Secretariat, the Raj Bhawan, official residence of the Chief Minister and several Ministers, legislatures’ hostel, residences of top bureaucrats and the symbols of cultural identity of the region like the Raghunath Temple, the Palace and the Mubarak Mandi heritage complex are to name a few.
Expectations, therefore, are high but the problems are common –power, water and sanitation. “Walking through the stinking lanes, jumping over heaps of garbage and escaping the risk hanging electric wire in a constituency where all those people live who rule the state discourages us from casting vote”, says Ram Kumar, a resident of Pacca Danga but he hastens to add: “we will vote as we want to bring about change”.
What change? When asked this, intelligent comes the reply from Surbhi Sharma, another resident of the area: “campaigning follows an interesting trend in urban areas. Contestants come for door to door campaigns. We take them around our streets and get promise on changing plight. Once the candidate of our choice is elected, we will bring him back to the same lanes and make him to act on his promises”.
Ram Kumar and Surbhi have an honest approach to elections but it is to be seen whether their representative comes true to expectations.
Besides self proclaimed heroes of Jammu –Ashok Khajuria the state president of BJP and Bhim Singh, the chairman of Panthers Party there are 18 other candidates in the fray including former City Mayor and Congress nominee Narinder Singh Raju. Other candidates in the fray are: Om Prakesh Sadotra of Bhartiya Bahujan Party, Billa of Lok Janshakti, Pardeep Bali of National Conference, Pervaiz Ahmad of AIFB, Rajeev Gupta of BSP, Swarn Sharma of Jammu State Morcha, Shanti Devi of PDP, Zaffar Javed Ahmad of J&K Democratic Party (Nationalist), Mohit Gupta of Bhartiya Sampurn Krantikari Party, Mahesh Chander Padha of RJD, Narinder Singh of INC and Brij Mohan, Jamil Akhter, Rajiv Mahajan, Surinder Mahajan, Sanjeev Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar Sareen and Sanjay Mahey, all independents.
This constituency has been ruled by the Congress, Bhartiya Jana Singh and the BJP, and has the privilege of electing political stalwarts like Pandit Prem Nath Dogra of Praja Parishad in 1957 and Prof: Chaman Lal Gupta of BJP in 1987. But it is sorry to mention here that even today the people of this constituency are crying for water and electricity.
Looking the profile of Jammu East constituency and then at its plight many are still confused who to vote and why? “All have cheated us, even today the drains are choked and roads are full of pits” says Suraj Parkash, a voter and retired officer of Agriculture department .
The people are not angry with the last government and ex-MLA alone but they are also angry with the opposition. “We are being ignored by both, the Congress was in government and BJP was ruling the Municipality” says Gorav Sharma, a first time voter and student.
In 2002, Ashok Khajuria of BJP had lost the seat to Yogesh Sawhney of Congress. This time BJP is trying to sail on the boat of Amarnath agitation and Jammu discrimination saga and Congress has come with the honest image of Ex-mayor and so called developmental works. It is pertinent to notice that none of the candidates in the fight has raised the issue pollution of famous and religious river 'Tawi'. The fingers of the candidates and voters are crossed and it is only the decisive day that can reveal the fate of these contestants.
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