Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 25: With less than a week left for crucial election to six seats of Legislative Council—four for Jammu province and two for Kashmir province—three MLAs, whose vote in favour of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad had upset the PDP-BJP calculations in Rajya Sabha elections early this month, are again in limelight as their vote held the key to victory on one seat of Kashmir while the BJP is understood to have agreed to get one of its three candidates defeated on four Jammu seats to bail out the PDP nominee.
Three MLAs—Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami (CPM), Hakim Mohammad Yasin (PDP) and Engineer Sheikh Abdul Rashid (Independent)—whose vote in favour of Azad had led to his victory and defeat of BJP candidate Chander Mohan Sharma with two votes told the Excelsior separately that they were yet to take decision on voting in the Legislative Council elections.
A situation similar to the Rajya Sabha elections has arisen as election is being held for two seats of Legislative Council on March 2. In February 7 Rajya Sabha election also, the contest was held among three candidates for two seats. Azad had polled 30 votes (NC 15, Congress 12 and Independents 3) while PDP had polled 29 and BJP 28 votes.
The only difference this time is that there were both PDP candidates in the fray—Javed Ahmad Mirchal and Saif-ud-Din Bhat unlike the Rajya Sabha elections, where one each candidate of PDP and BJP—Nazir Ahmad Laway and Chander Mohan Sharma respectively were in the race along with Azad.
CPM MLA Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami said they were yet to take decision on the Legislative Council elections.
“We are yet to decide. We will take decision soon,’’ he said indicating that the National Conference, whose lone candidate Qaiser Jamsheed Lone is in the fray against PDP’s Mirchal and Bhat for two seats of Kashmir province, can’t take their vote for granted only because they had voted for Azad in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Another Independent Engineer Abdul Rashid said no political party has sought his vote.
“No one has approached me for vote. Then why should I vote anyone’’? he asked pointing out that none of the political parties have sought his vote for the Legislative Council elections.
Third Independent MLA Hakim Mohammad Yasin, former Minister, was of the view that though they stood for secular forces they have not made up their mind as yet for the Upper House elections.
“We will take a decision shortly,’’ he added.
As per the Assembly arithmetic, Qaiser Lone can win one of the seats if all these three Independents vote for him like they had done for Azad. However, if they changed sides, Qaiser’s victory can become difficult. The PDP is sure to win one of the Kashmir seats while victory of its second candidate would depend upon three Independent MLAs, whose vote is crucial for both PDP and NC. If the Independent candidates announce their support for NC, the PDP would decide as to which candidates out of two (Mirchal and Bhat), it would like to go through to the Council.
Sources said even if the Government nominated two women MLAs to the Assembly on March 1 after formation of the Government, a day before the Council elections, the PDP will still fall short of one vote to win both seats of Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the BJP has reportedly decided to get one of its candidates on four seats of Jammu defeated to maintain original agreement with PDP with whom it was contesting Legislative Council elections in alliance like the Rajya Sabha.
Presently, there were five candidates in fray for four seats of Jammu province including three from BJP (Vibodh Gupta, Charanjit Singh Khalsa and Romesh Arora), and one each from PDP (Surinder Choudhary) and NC (Sajjad Ahmad Kitchloo).
While victory of Kitchloo is certain as he has the confirmed support of 27 MLAs (15 NC and 12 Congress), one of the four candidates of BJP and PDP had to lose. Sources said it has been decided by the BJP-PDP leadership that out of three BJP candidates, one would lose while two others would go to the Upper House for six years.
The PDP-BJP combine was in a position to get three candidates elected to the Council and it has been decided that two candidates of BJP and lone candidate of PDP will go to the Council, they said.
As reported, PDP-BJP have already won five seats of the Council uncontested. The winners were Chering Dorjey (Leh) and Sofi Yusuf (Kashmir), both BJP, Inayat Ali (Kargil), Firdous Tak (Jammu) and Yasir Reshi (Kashmir), all PDP.
Dorjey and Inayat Ali will get full term of six years as they have been elected against regular vacancies (biennial category) to the Legislative Council. However, Sofi Yusuf and Firdous Tak will get four years term while Reshi will get two years term as they were elected against by-election vacancies under which only remaining term of the candidates, whose election to the Assembly caused the vacancy, is given to the candidates.
The elections for eight biennial vacancies were necessitated as an equal number of MLCs are completing their term between March 9 and 16. They are Ajatshatru Singh (NC now BJP), BR Kundal (Congress), Syed Asgar Ali (PDP) and Khalid Najib Suhrawardhy (NC), all four in Jammu province, Narboo Gialchan (Congress), a seat reserved for Ladakh tehsil of Kashmir province, Aga Syed Ahmad Rizvi (NC), a seat reserved for Kargil tehsil of Kashmir province, Vijay Bakaya (NC) and Syed Mohammad Rafiq Shah (NPP now PDP), two seats of Kashmir province.
By-election for three seats was necessitated due to election of an equal number of MLCs—Devender Singh Rana and Abdul Majid Bhat Laram (both NC) and Mohammad Ashraf Mir (PDP) to the Legislative Assembly in the last year’s elections.
Of 11 vacancies, five have been filled uncontested while election for six others will be held on March 2.
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