Farooq to take final call on Alliance candidates
*Unanimous decision taken in Jammu meeting
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 7: In a significant decision having potential to alter many political equations, the seven-party People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) today decided to jointly contest the District Development Council (DDC) elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the process for which has already been set into motion by the State Election Commissioner with the issuance of notification for two phases of polling.
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A decision to contest the elections jointly, which is being held on party-basis, was taken at meeting of the PAGD held under the chairmanship of National Conference president and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah at his Bhatindi residence here.
PAGD leader and CPM general secretary MY Tarigami told the Excelsior that the decision was “unanimous and collective” and there were no two opinions about it.
In view of decision to contest the DDC elections, the PAGD has decided to postpone its November 17 convention in Srinagar, Tarigami said.
The PAGD leaders who attended the meeting today include National Conference president and vice president Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, MY Tarigami, CPM general secretary, Sajjad Ghani Lone (People’s Conference), Muazaffar Shah (Awami National Conference) and Javed Mustafa Mir (Jammu and Kashmir People’s Movement). The CPI representative couldn’t attend the meeting due to health reasons but he has given his consent to the unanimous decision taken by the PAGD.
The PAGD leaders observed that they are part of democratic process since the start of their political career and, therefore, they collectively and unanimously decided to field candidates for the elections.
“The PAGD will contest the elections as single entity. Dr Farooq Abdullah as Chairman of the PAGD will finalize the candidates after taking names from the Alliance partners,” Tarigami said.
The Congress didn’t attend the second consecutive meeting of the PAGD.
Political observers feel that the coming together of seven political parties to contest first-ever election of the DDCs will be a major threat for the Congress, BJP and other political parties not only in the Kashmir valley but in Jammu region too as National Conference and PDP have considerable influence in many pockets of Jammu.
National Conference, PDP and CPM had boycotted the Panchayat and Municipal elections in November-December 2018 and the Block Development Council (BDC) polls in 2019.
The PAGD will face BJP, Congress, Apni Party, Nationalist Panthers Party (NPP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and various other groups apart from the Independent candidates in the DDC elections which are being held in eight phases from November 28 to December 19.
Elections will be held for 280 constituencies of 20 DDCs—140 each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions. Each DDC will have 14 Territorial constituencies.
Announcing the decision after the first meeting of the PAGD at winter capital here, its spokesperson Sajjad Ghani Lone told reporters that “one point of the agenda (for the meeting) was upcoming DDC elections and a unanimous decision was taken that we will fight these elections unitedly despite the abruptness of the timing”.
Lone, who was flanked by PAGD president Farooq Abdullah, his deputy Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah, CPI (M) leader M Y Tarigami and others, said “all of a sudden, they (Government) sprang the surprise and are going to finish the task within one month.
“This space is too sacred to be left for the invaders to invade. This is the most sacred space in democracy and we will not allow it to be marauded or molested by invaders. We will keep it for the future generations so we are all going to fight it together,” Lone said.
He added that the PAGD will go through the modalities and Dr Farooq Abdullah would release every single name of the candidates from his own hands.
Earlier in the morning, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah’s Bhatindi residence here saw a flurry of political activities as members of the Gupkar Alliance met in Jammu for the first time since its formation last month.
Several delegations met leaders of the PAGD, which was formed by seven mainstream political parties of the Union Territory for the restoration of special status of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Today, we met for the first time in Jammu and a number of people from the civil society and political parties met us, and we are happy that the sentiment which we saw in Kashmir is also found here,” Sajjad Lone said.
Members of the Alliance had earlier held meetings in the Kashmir division of the Union Territory.
The PAGD leaders reached Dr Farooq Abdullah’s Bhatindi residence in the morning for the meeting.
Over 30 delegations visited Dr Abdullah’s residence before the start of the meeting at around 4 pm.
Prominent among the visitors included veteran politician and patron of the National Panthers Party (NPP) Prof Bhim Singh.
Lone said that a delegation of Sikhs met the leaders in the morning followed by delegations from the Kashmiri migrant Pandit community and Gaddi and Sippi communities.
Delegations of Dalits, Schedule Castes, transporters and farmers were among those who met leaders of the Alliance, he said.
“They are all facing grave economic and administrative problems but apart from that, the common thread in our thinking and their thinking was that they are all unhappy and hurt by the decisions of August 5, last year. As much as we are hurt there (in Kashmir), they are hurt (in Jammu),” Lone said.
He said this process of interactions would continue.
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