Gopal Sharma/PTI
NEW DELHI/JAMMU, Oct 14: Both factions in Jammu and Kashmir Congress have been accommodated in the Election Committee for the State announced ahead of Lok Sabha and Assembly polls next year.
The committee, to be headed by J&K Congress president Saif-ud-Din Soz, includes his known detractor and Union Cabinet Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Congress Legislature Party leader Chaudhary Mohammad Aslam, who has been ailing for some time, and J&K Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand have also been included in the 12-member committee.
While Lok Sabha polls are due by May, Assembly elections in J&K are scheduled by the end of next year.
A National Conference-Congress alliance is in power in J&K with Omar Abdullah leading the Government since it came to power after elections in December, 2008.
But a section of the party is said to be critical of National Conference.
Congress also constituted seven-member coordination committees for Himachal Pradesh and J&K. The general secretary in-charge for party affairs in the two States, Ambika Soni, is on both panels.
In J&K, the committee has Soz as its convener and includes Aslam, among others.
Meanwhile, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and ruling National Conference today suffered major set back as close associates of former Chief Minister and party patron Mufti Mohd Sayeed, Th Balbir Singh (Ex-MLA from Billawar), Murtaza Ahmed Khan (Ex-MLC) from Mendhar, Master Tassaduq Hussain from Rajouri besides former Political Advisor to Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, Aslam Goni from Bhaderwah among 15 persons including two former Ministers and some bureaucrats joined Congress Party.
All India Congress Committee general secretary, Janardan Dwivedi in a letter issued from his office in New Delhi this evening, released the names of 15 new entrants to the party fold including a few big shots from PDP and National Conference.
They included Thakur Balbir Singh-PDP, Murtaza Ahmed Khan-PDP, Mohd Aslam Goni-National Conference, Master Tassaduq Hussain-PDP, Ghulam Hassan Geelani- former Minister from NC hailing from Badgam, Gurbachan K. Rana former Minister, Shafeeq Mir-president All J&K Panchayats Conference hailing from Rajouri, Ghulam Hassan Rather from PDP (Baramulla), Farooq Renzu, former Director Information, Zahida Khan former Director School Education and DC Kathua, Tafazul Hussain- former President J&K Bank, Wali Mohd- retired Chief Engineer, Bashir Ahmed Shah-Sarpanch from Baramulla area, Gulzar Ahmed and Mujeeb Ali Sheikh.
Pradesh Congress Committee president and former Union Minister for Water Resources, Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz when contacted in New Delhi said, ” These persons had approached us some time back and expressed their consent to join Congress Party. Accordingly, we made the proposal and submitted to the party high command. All India Congress president Sonia Gandhi has accepted the proposal and gave final approval today.”
Replying to another question, Prof Soz said, ” They have joined Congress Party now. AICC general secretary has released the list of the names approved. We will formally welcome them into the party fold by organizing two functions at Srinagar as well as in Jammu in their honour within couple of days. Myself and a few top party leaders of the will also attend the functions to formally accord them warm welcome into the Congress Party. This is just beginning, you will find some more surprises in the State politics shortly,” Prof Soz maintained.
Sources said that Mr Goni, a former Advocate General and a trusted lieutenant of former J&K Chief Minister and sitting Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr Farooq Abdullah was facing suffocated in the National Conference cadre for the past some time. He had met the Union Minister for Health Ghulam Nabi Azad in Delhi some time back and had expressed his desire to leave the party and join Congress cadre. Mr Goni is also the chairman of J&K Cricket Association and was associated with the Sports since long. Hailing from Bhaderwah, he was being considered as strong candidate for the next Assembly elections by the National Conference.
Though there were certain voices in the air in the political circles this evening that Mr Goni was not joining Congress and denying the report, yet he told the `Excelsior’ on phone that he has come to know about this report only from media friends. ” Nobody from Congress has contacted me on this. But Prof Soz has called me up from Delhi just now,” he added.
When asked whether he would formally join Congress in the official function being held in Jammu and Srinagar shortly, Mr Goni did not deny but laughed and said, ” Let us see. I will think over it.”
Former MLA from Billawar, Th Balbir Singh considered to be a close and trusted aide of Mufti Mohd Sayeed was also unhappy with some party leaders for the past some time.
Sources said that the party was planning to field him as candidate for the Parliamentary elections from Kathua-Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha constituency. He was associated with Mufti Sayeed when he was in Janata Dal and the then Home Minister. His decision to leave party is also considered to be a great set back to the PDP.
Again, Murtaza Khan, an advocate by profession, a fire- brand leader and a former MLC hailing from Mendhar in Poonch, was doing very well in the PDP. He was closely associated with the Mufti Mohd Sayeed and former Dy Chief Minister and top PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Beigh. But being annoyed with the party cadre, he was feeling suffocated and decided to join Congress. Master Tassaduq Hussain hailing from Rajouri ( Darhal) is yet another setback to the Mufti camp. He had contested Assembly elections in 2002 and 2008 on PDP ticket from Darhal and Rajouri and had lost with narrow margin to Congress candidate Shabir Khan.
Murtaza Khan while confirming his joining told the Excelsior that he had made up his mind to leave PDP and formally decided to quit. Replying to another question Khan said that he would formally join the party in an official function being held in Jammu next week. Shafiq Mir from Rajouri is also said to be strong leader from Rajouri having great backing of Panchayats members. Zahida Khan already has some Congress background as she is the daughter of top Congress leader and former MP from Udhampur-Doda.
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