Lonely in J-K fray, Ghulam Nabi Azad battles ‘BJP proxy’ tag amid his party’s flailing campaign

The party which Azad formed in September 2022 amid fanfare after leaving the Congress, has had faced a steady exodus of leaders. Although several prominent Congress faces had initially joined Azad’s party, they deserted him, one after another.

The highway from Doda to Thathri is in a shambles because of the ongoing road-widening work. While the flags of the BJP and the National Conference (NC) are seen adorning various shops and vehicles en route, one has to look hard to spot the DPAP’s posters, banners or flags.

Azad is struggling to keep his party afloat. A fresh wave of its leaders’ desertion took place after the DPAP’s rout in the recent Lok Sabha elections with both its candidates — in the Anantnag-Rajouri and Udhampur seats — losing even their security deposits.

Azad’s sudden announcement late last month that he was “unwell” and may not campaign for his candidates threw the party out of gear. Four of his party candidates withdrew their nomination papers, who were from Jammu’s Chenab valley, which Azad considers his stronghold. It has three districts — Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban. Azad now does not have a candidate even in Bhaderwah — his home town that he had represented as an MLA when he was the J&K chief minister from 2006 to 2008.

After a two-hour wait, Azad’s cavalcade along with several vehicles with party workers arrive. The crowd swells, blocking the narrow road. Azad emerges out of his car’s sunroof. Sporting a white beard, the veteran looks different, even a bit tired. He addresses the workers, asking them to remain vigilant against communal politics. He recounts the development works and welfare measures undertaken during his chief ministerial tenure. He also makes some promises like free ration and free electricity for the poor.

The DPAP camp says the party’s candidates are in the fray in some 19 seats, mostly in the Jammu region, out of 90 seats. Azad, who was in the thick of national politics for decades, is in a way facing a “splendid isolation”. The major regional parties, the Farooq Abdullah-led NC and the Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP, have stayed away from him, believing that he is a “proxy for BJP”. He has campaigned for just five days in Anantnag and Doda districts.

Azad’s best hope is that some of his party’s prominent faces like Wani manage to win so that he has a stake in the post-poll government formation exercise. Talking to The Indian Express, he predicts a hung Assembly, arguing that no party or alliance would get a majority. But he refuses to get drawn into the issues related to national politics or the electoral dynamics shaping up in J&K.

He speaks about his commitment to the Chenab valley but reiterates his pledge to introduce a legislation in the Assembly to prevent outsiders from buying land or securing jobs in J&K. Asked how he can make such promises when his party is not even contesting in one-third of the seats, he merely says, “Wait and watch.”

More than his health issues, Azad seems to be grappling with the “BJP proxy” tag. His workers would not believe in any such “propaganda” but admit the party’s campaign has been lacklustre. “We have always stood with him (Azad). Wani sahab too is popular. Had Azad sahab campaigned extensively, it would have been easier for us to win the seat. But we will still win,” says a DPAP worker.

In the 2014 elections, the BJP had won the Doda seat with the then Congress candidate Wani finishing as the runner-up. Azad’s political career, although at its fag end, now depends on his party picking up a couple of seats, which would then give him a political leverage in the post-poll scenario. And all his hopes are pinned on the Chenab valley. With a wave of his hand, he rubbishes reports that he could return to the Congress.

Azad’s cavalcade moves ahead through the market on its way to Kahra where he addresses a meeting attended by a sizeable crowd.