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| RAJYA SABHA POLL | | Congress tricks National Conference | | NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
Jammu, Feb 7: The National Conference leadership's plan on preventing the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Syed Altaf Ahmed Bukhari from winning the Rajya Sabha seat seems to have gone awry after the BJP, which has 11 members in the Assembly, has fielded its candidate.
Indications are that there would be a contest only on one seat among the candidates fielded by the NC, the PDP and the BJP. Saifuddin Soz, Ghulam Nabi Azad have already been declared elected without any contest and Dr Farooq is also expected to have a cakewalk win.
Reports said that the Congress was initially not averse to the Peoples Democratic Party candidate making it to the Rajya Sabha but the NC leadership did not favour Bukhari to get any advantage. Initially the NC leadership felt upset over the Congress high command clearing the names of Soz and Azad for the RS seats without informing and consulting the coalition partner. In this connection the party President, Dr Farooq Abdullah, tried his best to meet Sonia Gandhi so that he could articulate his views on the matter but an immediate meeting could not materialize. However, he conveyed the displeasure to Ahmed Patel and others telling them that since the National Conference had 27 members in the Assembly against 17 of the Congress the former deserved a better deal.
However, Farooq's anger was quite breezy. He mellowed down when he was assured that during the ensuing legislative council election the NC would be given a bigger share in 19 seats that are to fall vacant by March. His anger evaporated when he was reminded of the Congress sacrifice when it did not force the NC to repeat the arrangement that the Congress had with PDP under which the Chief Minister's seat was occupied by the two on rotational basis. The Congress had turned down an offer from the PDP. The PDP had plans of repeating the experiment of 2002 when it formed an alliance with the Congress. The PDP wanted the coalition to be revived without imposing any condition. The Congress high command, however, cast its dice in favour of the National Conference.
In the context of this development any sharp reaction from the NC camp could have posed a genuine threat to the ruling coalition. The Congress leadership would have not accepted any dictation from the NC when the former knew it well that if the NC tried to needle the Congress the PDP was ready to join hands with the Congress. In such a case the NC would have been the loser after it has been assured of six years rule for Omar Abdullah.
The NC President later announced that the NC, Congress will contest the Rajya Sabha election jointly thereby setting at rest speculation on NC's plan to make it difficult for the Congress candidates to have a cake-walk win.But the NC had already made its commitment to Mohammad Shafi Uri who has not been able to make to the Assembly since 2002.He has been defeated twice by Taj Mohiuddin from the Uri Constituency. Well Mohammad Shafi can prove a valuable asset for the NC if he i ble to get elected to the Rajya Sabha. He is a talented person and he has demonstrated his talent as a minister for finance and Education. He faces challenge from PDP’s Syed Bukhari. For a straight win the PDP needs eight more votes while the NC candidate requires nine more votes. After the BJP has fielded its candidates the three MLAs belonging to the Panthers party and four independent MLAs may play a vital role in deciding the fate of Bukhari and Shafi Uri. Mohammad Shafi is well known political figure while Bukhari is a known industrialist. Well the former has the organization behind him while latter has the organization support coupled with money power. One does not rule out minor cross voting. However, the NC-Congress had agreed to postpone cabinet expansion till the completion of the Rajya Sabha poll because any expansion in the ministry could have enhanced the scope for cross voting by those who had failed to get berth in the cabinet.
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