MBA, LLM, SC women get vice chairpersonship
NC, Cong, BJP bid for 3 DDCs with hung verdict
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 2: Former MLA, KAS officer, retired Colonel of Army, RSS ideologue and committed party cadre including women are among 12 chairpersons and vice chairpersons whose names have been cleared by the BJP for six District Development Councils (DDCs) of Jammu region where the party has gained absolute majority to form the Councils while BJP, National Conference and Congress are in talks with Independents and others to secure majority in rest of the four DDCs, where elections are scheduled to start from February 6 and the process has to conclude before February 20.
In Jammu district, which has been reserved for Scheduled Castes, the BJP has finalized the name of Bharat Bushan, former MLA from Raipur Domana and DDC member from Bhalwal, for the post of DDC chairperson. Suraj Singh, who has been elected from Khour, will be the vice chairperson. Elections for the posts of chairpersons and vice chairpersons of Jammu DDC will be held on February 6. BJP has won 11 out of 14 seats in Jammu district while two seats had gone to Independents and one to National Conference.
RSS ideologue Keshav Sharma, who has been elected from Ramgarh, has been cleared by the BJP for the post of DDC chairperson of Samba district while Balwan Singh, who had emerged victorious from Sumb will be the vice chairperson. Election schedule for Samba district is yet to be announced. The BJP had won 13 out of 14 seats in Samba while one seat had gone to the National Conference.
Sarf Singh Nag, former KAS officer who had quit services to join politics in 2014 and has won DDC election from Bhomag, will be the chairperson of Reasi District Development Council while Nirmala Devi, a prominent Scheduled Caste face of the BJP who had won Katra seat, will be the vice chairperson. BJP had won seven of 14 seats in Reasi and has already gained support of an Independent candidate to claim majority. Nag had lost Assembly election from Reasi in 2014 by just 200 votes as an Independent candidate.
Col Maan Singh, who had retired from Administrative Unit of the Army and comes with rich experience, is tipped to be the chairman of Kathua DDC. He had won the election from Basohli, the home-town of two-time Lok Sabha member Choudhary Lal Singh of Dogra Swabhiman Front. Ragunandan Singh alias Babloo, who had defeated former MLA Charanjit Singh Jasrotia (BJP rebel) in Kathua, is set to be the vice chairman of Kathua DDC. The BJP has 13 out of 14 seats in Kathua.
Dhanantar Singh alias Koushal Kotwal, the BJP strongman in Doda who had contested Assembly election against then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in Bhaderwah by-poll in 2006 and has won DDC election now from Bhaderwah, has been approved by the BJP for the post of chairman of Doda DDC. Sangeeta Bhagat, a prominent SC woman face of the BJP and MBA from Bangalore, will be the vice chairperson of Doda DDC. The BJP has eight out of 14 seats in Doda district.
Choice in Udhampur district, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes, has narrowed down between Mool Raj Bhagat and Lal Chand Bhagat and the final decision will be taken in couple of days as election of Udhampur district is scheduled for February 8. However, Juhi Manhas, wife of former Ramnagar MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania who had defeated heavyweight Manju Singh, wife of former Cabinet Minister and NPP supremo Harshdev Singh in Khoon DDC seat, has been cleared for the post of vice chairperson. Juhi Manhas is LLM.
Meanwhile, the BJP has nominated Sunil Sethi, chief spokesperson of the party as Election Incharge of Jammu district, Dr Nirmal Singh, former Deputy Chief Minister as Election Incharge Samba district, Kavinder Gupta, former Deputy Chief Minister for Udhampur, Sat Sharma, former Minister for Kathua, Jugal Kishore, Lok Sabha MP, for Reasi, Shakti Raj Parihar, former Minister for Doda, Pawan Khajuria, senior BJP leader for Ramban, Sunil Sharma, former Minister for Kishtwar, Vibodh Gupta, former MLC for Rajouri and Mohammad Rafiq Chisti for Poonch district.
Insiders in the BJP told the Excelsior that the names were cleared after hectic exercise undertaken by party president Ravinder Raina by talking to all senior leaders, district presidents, Core Group members and other concerned leaders.
With at least six chairpersons and vice chairpersons out of 10 in Jammu region, the BJP is of the view that it will be ruling 60 percent of the Jammu region and performance of the DDCs will be crucial in the Assembly elections whenever they are held.
“Names of chairpersons and vice chairpersons have been finalized taking all aspects into account,” the party insiders said, adding the people have given the BJP mandate in majority of Jammu region and the DDCs will have to deliver accordingly.
The BJP leaders said they were in touch with “Independents and others” in Ramban, Kishtwar and Rajouri districts to secure majority but admitted that it was “tough task” as they have just three seats each in these districts.
On the other, National Conference, which has emerged single largest party in Ramban, Kishtwar and Rajouri districts, is in advanced stage of talks with “like minded parties and candidates” to claim majority.
In fact, NC with six members and Congress with two have joined hands in Ramban district while NC has six members of its own in Kishtwar district and has support of one Independent. Both Kishtwar and Ramban districts have been reserved for women. In Rajouri, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribe, NC had won five seats, Congress and BJP three each and PDP, Apni Party and Independent one each.
However, in Poonch district which has been reserved for Scheduled Tribe woman, eight Independent candidates have won followed by Congress four and National Conference two.
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