NC ‘capturing’ most of faction-ridden BJP, Cong leaders

In 1984, Farooq Abdullah was taken by surprise when his party legislators defected to form their own group and eventually paved the way for ...

In 1984, Farooq Abdullah was taken by surprise when his party legislators defected to form their own group and eventually paved the way for dismissal of his government by the then Governor, Jagmohan.

Eighteen years later, the trend has reversed. Opposition leaders, including legislators, are now defecting to join Abdullah.

	48 more observers deployed
	The EC on Friday decided to deploy 48 more polling observers in Jammu and Kashmir. “The EC decided to deploy 30 senior IAS officers and 18 senior officers from revenue and other services in the state. They will be assigned to different districts to cover all Assembly segments in the state,” an EC release said. This was decided at a meeting of poll observers convened by the EC to review poll preparations in the state, where Assembly elections are to be held in four phases—on September 16, 24 and October 1 and 8. The meeting followed a three-day visit to the state by CECs J.M. Lyngdoh, T.S. Krishnamurthy and B.B. Tandon early this week. Eeach observer would undertake three visits covering the period of nominations, scrutiny, poll and counting, the release said. These observers are in addition to 17 special observers in all the 14 districts of the state, assigned to observe the implementation of the initiatives taken up by the EC. (PTI)

On Friday, BJP’s sitting MLA from Jammu Cantonment, Chowdhary Piara Singh, joined National Conference along with other party leaders, in Jammu. Piqued over the infighting within BJP, he says he doesn’t want to contest the assembly polls on the party ticket. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1996.

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BJP’s senior vice-president Abdul Rashid Kabli and its national council member Bashir Naz have already joined the NC. More BJP leaders, including sitting legislators are reportedly following suit in the next few days.

Sitting Congress MLA from Nowshera, R.S. Sharma, joined the ruling party recently. He is now an NC candidate. Earlier, senior Shia leader and MLA from Pattan, Moulvi Ifitkar Hussain Ansari, had joined the Abdullah Cabinet much to the chagrin of party high command. Ansari was later expelled from the party.

Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary, Liaquat Ali, who had joined NC last month, has now been fielded as NC candidate from Darhal by the ruling party.

From Janata Dal, four of the five MLAs have already joined the ruling NC, while BSP’s sitting MLA Ram Chand Bhagat has been openly showering praises upon Abdullah and his party.

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The trend which has emerged on the eve of first phase of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir has left the Opposition in disarray. As a result, only the ruling NC came out with a list of its candidates for the first phase of electoral process, which was set into motion after the issuance of poll notification by the State Governor, G.C. Saxena, on Thursday.

Twenty-six assembly constituencies in Rajouri, Poonch, Baramullah, Kupwara, Kargil and Leh districts are going to polls during the first of polling in the state on September 16.

Finalising the names of candidates aside, Opposition parties are not even sure as to who will be around by the time campaigning picks up, according to sources. While many among the Opposition accuse ruling NC of having “stabbed them in the back” by engineering defections, the latter attribute it to the “growing popularity of its programmes and polices”.

Analysts say the defection has come as a boon for the NC, serving twin purpose. While these will help the NC in further strengthening its foothold in Jammu region, it will also divert public attention from its performance during the last six years to the infighting within the camp.

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The ruling party is helped in all this by none else than the Opposition itself. The BJP is already a divided house in the state with its leaders and the RSS differing on various issues.

Though the BJP has decided to seat adjustments with the RSS-backed Jammu Statehood Morcha, there are basic difference s between the two on the demand for trifurcation of the state.

Similarly, Congress is marred with factionalism. Its two senior leaders, Ghulam Rasool Kar and Mangat Ram Sharma are irked at their state party president, Ghulam Nabi Azad, over the finalisation of poll lists. Meanwhile, Janata Dal has split into JD (U) and JD(S).