Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 29: Seven MLAs, who have been categorized as Independent and Others and who hold key to election of one crucial seat of Rajya Sabha out of a total of four that go to polls on February 7, have not yet taken any decision on which combination they would vote for including PDP-BJP and NC-Congress.
While three seats of Rajya Sabha were certain to go in favour of PDP-BJP combine, there would be tough contest on fourth seat between Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress nominee Ghulam Nabi Azad and one of the two BJP-PDP nominees—Chander Mohan Sharma and Nazir Ahmad Laway.
Returning Officer of Rajya Sabha elections, Mohammad Ramzan, who also happened to be the Secretary Legislative Assembly told the Excelsior that nominations of all seven candidates were found in order during the scrutiny held today in presence of representatives of the candidates. He said the candidates can withdraw their nomination papers on January 31 and elections will be held on February 7.
Meanwhile, seven MLAs including Independents and Others, who hold key to fourth seat of Rajya Sabha were yet to take decision on extending support to any of the alliances though two MLAs of People’s Conference headed by Sajjad Lone, who had won Handwara seat, were likely to go with the BJP though there had been no official word from Sajjad Lone so far on the voting.
Both combinations have started hectic lobby to win over five remaining Independent candidates to win the seat.
CPM MLA Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami said he along with two other Independent MLAs—Hakim Mohammad Yasin, a third time MLA from Khansaheb and former Minister and Engineer Abdul Rashid, a second time MLA from Langet, would try to take joint decision on supporting the combination.
“We will try to evolve a consensus. But in my personal opinion, I will vote against the PDP-BJP alliance. Even abstaining from the voting would mean helping the PDP-BJP combine,’’ Tarigami said.
However, both Hakim Mohammad Yasin and Engineer Abdul Rashid refused to endorse the view point of Tarigami.
“I will speak later,’’ he said when asked about Tarigami’s stand that three MLAs could take joint decision on Rajya Sabha voting.
Yasin just laughed and refused to disclose as to which combination he would vote for in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Almost similar were the views of Engineer Rashid.
Admitting that three MLAs were in consultations with each other for Rajya Sabha elections, Engineer Rashid, however, said the people of Langet were priority for him and not the Rajya Sabha elections.
“I’m at Langet. I’m with the people of my constituency attending to their problems. For me, my people are priority and not these elections. Nevertheless, I will take good decision at an appropriate time,’’ he said.
Lone Independent MLA from Jammu region, Pawan Gupta, a former BJP leader, who had won Udhampur Assembly seat with a massive margin, said he was undecided on voting in the Rajya Sabha elections so far. However, he dropped hints that he could even abstain from the voting.
“The BJP leaders are highly unapologetic over the blunder committed by them in denying me the party mandate for Udhampur seat. They should have accepted their mistake gracefully and approached me for voting. No senior party leader has approached me so far,’’ Gupta, who had earlier trained his guns on State BJP president Jugal Kishore Sharma and even campaigned against his brother Nand Kishore Sharma in Nagrota seat, said. Nand Kishore had lost Nagrota seat, which Jugal Kishore had won for two consecutive terms in 2002 and 2008.
Sources said that BJP candidate on tough seat Chander Mohan Sharma alone had approached Pawan Gupta seeking his vote while others were just making calls to him.
Another Independent candidate from Zanskar Assembly constituency in Kargil district, Bakir Hussain Rizvi, who had won the seat with National Conference support is still undecided on the Rajya Sabha elections. Though Rizvi had won the elections with the support of National Conference, sources within the NC admitted that Rizvi might go with the parties, which would form Government in the State.
However, he couldn’t be approached on the phone.
According to sources, the votes of seven Independents and Others won’t matter either for PDP-BJP or for NC-Congress combine on two seats, the elections for which would be held separately against Notification Nos. 1 and 2 as PDP-BJP candidates Mir Mohammad Fayaz (Notification No. 1) and Shamsher Singh (Notification No. 2) would win the seats with their own 53 votes as only 44 votes were required to win the seats.
However, all these seven votes would become crucial for Notification No. 3, where three candidates were pitted for two seats including Ghulam Nabi Azad (Congress), Chander Mohan Sharma (BJP) and Nazir Ahmad Laway (PDP).
NC-Congress have 27 votes (15 of NC and 12 of Congress) while PDP-BJP have 53 votes (28 PDP and 25 BJP). The number would go up to 55 if the People’s Conference, as expected, would go with the BJP.
While one candidate of PDP or BJP would be safe, another would have to fight with Azad to win the seat and it would be here the support of five Independents and Others would matter.
With Azad sure to get the vote of Tarigami, his number would reach 28. The PDP and BJP candidates would have to take 29 votes each to win the seats unless more Independents support Azad.
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