After BJP picks two candidates, Opposition faces pressure from cadre

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, March 4

The BJP has announced two of its candidates from Jammu division, but the Congress, the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are still negotiating the terms of their alliance and have been facing pressure from the party cadre.

It has been learnt that the Congress has put forth an idea of contesting two seats from Jammu region, while it is pressurising the NC to let the PDP contest from the Anantnag constituency. At present, the NC has sitting MPs on all three seats in Kashmir. The NC has been offered to contest from Srinagar and Baramulla seat under the alliance.

The Congress, feeling the pressure as the saffron party has already started working on ground for the Lok Sabha polls, is expected to announce the terms of alliance, if it reaches an agreement, within two to three days.

The announcement of an alliance in J&K is being delayed as the NC was earlier adamant to contest on all the three seats from Kashmir, including Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag. However, the PDP had shown interest in contesting from Anantnag which caused a rift-like situation in opposition parties. In case these parties decide to contest independently, the division of votes may directly benefit the BJP.

The saffron party has already announced Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore Sharma, two-time Lok Sabha poll winners, as the candidates from Udhampur and Jammu constituency, respectively. The party has started poll preparation by launching campaigns in both these constituencies even as the date of the poll has not been announced.

Sources in the Congress said it was likely that the party would contest from Udhampur and Jammu within an alliance. “An agreement is likely to be reached where the PDP will contest from Anantnag and the NC from Srinagar and Baramulla. Even from Ladakh, the NC is likely to contest from INDIA bloc, thus getting three seats from J&K and Ladakh,” sources said. Ladakh has only one LS seat which is with the BJP at present.

The Congress, while on one hand, is holding negotiations with the NC and the PDP for alliance, it has on the other hand asked the party cadre to gear up for the elections. The party is also continuously attacking the BJP which is in the first gear with regard to poll preparation.

Congress working president Raman Bhalla, during a workers’ meeting in Jammu on Monday, said, “Every section of the society is suffering due to the wrong policies of the BJP. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are the worst sufferers. The BJP-led Central Government has snatched the right of jobs and land from the people of J&K by downgrading a full-fledged state into a Union Territory.”

Raina rules out alliance in J&K

• BJP’s J&K president Ravinder Raina has ruled out any alliance for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in J&K. He says the BJP is ready to contest all five Lok Sabha seats in the UT.
• Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Kashmir rally, Raina says that at least 2 lakh people are expected to take part in the grand event in Srinagar.