NC blames pre-poll violence for setback

The party fared the worst in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, where it recorded a loss of 16.27 per cent in its vote bank. Its 49.96 per cent of vote share in 1996 Assembly election decreased to 33.69 per cent this time round. The party8217;s vote share also went down in Baramulla Parliamentary constituency, where it secured 33.69 per cent as against 49.96 per cent in 1996. However, the NC vote share in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, where the party had fielded Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah8217;sson, Omer Abdullah, registered a marginal improvement 8212; 0.21 per cent. The vote share has increased from 61.59 to 61.80 per cent.

Defending the party8217;s performance, NC general secretary Shiekh Nazir said: 8220;We were fighting a relentless war with all forces pitted against us.8221; He added that party workers were working under tremendous pressure. 8220;Before talking of erosion in the NC vote bank, the ground realities have to be considered. Why were there selective killings of important party workers just before elections in our strongholds8221; he asked.

State Agriculture Minister Abdul Raheem Rather, whose Assembly segment has shown a positive swing in favour of the party, added: 8220;The NC did not come to power in normal times. People gave us mandate with the illogical hope that we would be able to set things right in a jiffy after eight years of death and devastation.8221; This feeling, he said, was exploited by rivals to gain voters8217; confidence.

Admitting that the electorate had reacted against Legislators insome segments, he said selective killing of NC activists in its strongholds forced a low voter turnout. He also blamed the results on an anti-incumbency wave, which, he claimed, had swept the country.

However, political analysts like Professor Noor Mohammad Baba of the Kashmir University traced the party8217;s poor performance to the toppling of the Farooq Government by the Centre in the 8217;80s. 8220;Farooq drew wrong conclusions after his dismissal and started believing that the blessings of Delhi were more important than its traditional vote bank. He also entered into an electoral alliance with the party8217;s traditional political rival, the Congress, which led to emergence of militancy,8221; he added.

However, Tahir Mohideen, the editor of Chattan, a weekly publication, blamed the setback on people8217;s resentment against the party for its performance during 17 months of its rule. But State Finance Minister Mohammad Shafi claimed that there was no erosion in the NC vote bank. 8220;The behaviour of the electorate in theAssembly polls cannot be compared to that of Parliamentary elections. As the issues in these elections differ, the voting pattern also differs,8221; he said.