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| Limited options for power to urban Jammu | | Slathia, Rana, Tara, Bhalla likely to have key role in Omar Govt | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 1: For 60 years, contemporaries believe, New Delhi had to make efforts to end alienation in Kashmir by offering largesse. As the regional gaps clearly widen the challenges before upcoming Omar Abdullah dispensation are almost the same for keeping Jammu in good homour.
With Jammu centric political discourse thickening in the region, Kashmir is required to walk an extra mile. Many Jammu-centric parties and leaders have been talking about making Jammu as center of power but this does not appear happening in new of distribution of assembly seats and a Chief Minister has to be from Kashmir. However, a balance is sought to be maintained by offering key positions to Jammu.
Since not many senior leaders from both coalition partners –National Conference and Congress –have returned to the assembly the front runners emerging for key positions in new government are Surjeet Singh Slathia and Devinder Rana from National Conference and Tara Chand and Raman Bhalla from the Congress. Though both parties have faired well in other regions but these leaders are likely to have a major role in Omar Abdullah government for making Jammu to feel a sense of power and participate in decision making process.
Slathia, Tara Chand and Bhalla have won their elections against all odds in a highly surcharged atmosphere while Devinder Rana –a Member of the Legislative Council – is being seen as top strategic player of the National Conference.
Surjeet Singh Slathia was a Minister in Farooq Abdullah Cabinet between 1996 and 2002 and he performed quite during his tenure. He has recently surprised all poll watchers by winning election from Vijaypur constituency which remained an epicenter of the Amarnath land row agitation. He is likely to emerge as National Conference point man for Jammu.
Gandhi Nagar MLA-elect Raman Bhalla was a Minister in first half of the coalition government after he won 2002 elections with a huge margin. In recent elections he has emerged as the lone urban face saver of the Congress in Jammu City. At a time when top heavyweights like Mangat Ram Sharma, Lal Singh and Gulchain Singh Charak lost elections in humiliating manner, Bhalla’s victory is worth celebrating if his colleagues in Congress prove true to him.
Similarly former Assembly Speaker Tara Chand too has won election against all odds. His Chhamb constituency witnessed heightened agitation on Shri Amarnath shrine land transfer issue and the BJP was hoping to have cake walk in his constituency. However, Tara Chand sailed through to reach the Legislative Assembly third time in a row even though he was made a victim of conspiracy theories by his own party colleagues.
While many believe Tara Chand is emerging as a frontrunner for the post of Deputy Chief Minister but in any he is likely to have a key role in the Omar Abdullah government.
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