*Cong, PDP candidates among 8 more file papers
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 20: Chief Minister and National Conference working president Omar Abdullah said today that there was no Narendra Modi wave in Jammu and Kashmir and the Alliance of National Conference and Congress would sweep all six Parliamentary seats in the State.
Joining Congress candidate from Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat Madan Lal Sharma in filing nomination papers from his official residence at Residency Road to Returning Officer’s Office (Deputy Commissioner, Jammu AK Sahu), Omar in a brief chart with media and address to the gathering said: “instead of campaigning, the BJP was engaged in internal fighting with its senior leaders like LK Advani and Jaswant Singh angry over distribution of tickets”.
In his tweet after Mr Sharma became the first Alliance candidate to file the nomination papers for the Parliamentary elections, Omar said: “and so it begins. The first of our six coalition candidates, Madan Lal Sharma, has filed his nomination from Jammu LS seat”.
Meanwhile, a total of eight candidates including PDP nominee Yash Pal Sharma today filed nomination papers for Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat taking total number of candidates to 11. March 22 is last day for filing nomination papers for Jammu-Poonch segment, which would go to polls on April 10.
No nomination paper was filed for Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat today for second day. March 26 is last date for filing nominations on Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha seat. BJP candidates for the two seats-Jugal Kishore Sharma (Jammu-Poonch) and Dr Jitendra Singh (Udhampur-Doda) would file their nomination papers before the Returning Officers at Jammu and Kathua respectively on March 22.
Recalling that NDA during 2004 had also launched `India Shining’ campaign, Omar recalled that their campaign didn’t materialize.
“The NDA had claimed wave in 2004 and gave the slogan of `India Shining’ but got a bashing in the elections. Again in 2009, it claimed that NDA would come to power as UPA-I was a failure, but the BJP failed miserably in the elections. Now again the results would prove their claims wrong,” Omar said.
“Presently also, the BJP has created a hype of Modi wave, which is nowhere visible. At least in Jammu and Kashmir, there is no Modi wave. If there was any wave in Jammu and Kashmir, it was the wave of National Conference and Congress, which was set to sweep all six Parliamentary seats in the State.
He said the wave was visible only in favour of Rajiv Gandhi after Indira Gandhi’s death.
Taking a jibe at the BJP infighting especially the neglect of party veterans like LK Advani and Jaswant Singh, who were sulking on denial of ticket from constituencies of their choice, the Chief Minister said the BJP should first set its house in order before creating Modi hype.
“If there was Modi wave in the country, why he (Modi) needs to contest from two Lok Sabha seats”? he asked.
On delay in announcement of Congress candidates for Udhampur-Doda and Ladakh Parliamentary constituencies, Omar hoped that the Congress would field a strong candidate from Doda seat soon so that the Alliance starts campaign on all six constituencies. Worthwhile to mention here that Congress has not announced its nominees for Udhampur-Doda and Ladakh seats so far.
Even the Congress hasn’t officially named its candidate for Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat though Mr Sharma filed his nomination papers for the seat today.
Asserting that self generated Modi hype would deflate soon, Omar said: “it would be UPA which would ultimately prevail while in Jammu and Kashmir, the Alliance would secure handsome victory”.
PCC (I) chief Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz said, Madan Lal Sharma has been given the Congress mandate from Jammu-Poonch seat.
Denying any rift within the Congress or the coalition, Prof Soz said the Alliance was fully united and so was the Congress and “we would capture all six seats in the elections”.
Worthwhile to mention here that under seat sharing agreement, NC and Congress have been contesting three Lok Sabha seats each. The NC would field three candidates in the Kashmir Valley while Congress would contest two seats of Jammu and one seat of Ladakh.
March 22 is last date for filing nomination papers for Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat and March 26 for Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary constituency. Polling would be held on April 10 and 17 respectively.
Madan Lal Sharma among others was accompanied among others by Omar, Prof Soz, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and a host of Ministers, legislators and senior leaders of National Conference and Congress. A large number of Congress workers also joined Mr Sharma in filing the papers. Mr Sharma called upon the people to give him third term from Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat.
Meanwhile, PDP’s candidate Yash Pal Sharma today also filed his nomination papers for Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat. Joined by senior leaders of the party, Mr Sharma was taken in a massive procession to the office of the Returning Officer before filing his papers for the Lok Sabha seat.
Mr Sharma said the good governance given by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for three years during 2002 to 2005 is still recalled in the State and the people would vote him to Lok Sabha. He said the people of the State have fed up with NC and Congress and want a change. He expressed confidence that the PDP would win all seats in the State.
Earlier, hundreds of PDP workers were gathered at JDA Park on the bank of the river Tawi. Workers from different parts of the Jammu region were present to accompany Mr Sharma.
Mr Sharma said that PDP has been fighting Lok Sabha elections to intensify the movement for change in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that change is imminent in J&K and PDP would be instrumental in change. He said that PDP has carved out a path of development and peace in Jammu and Kashmir so it is need of hour to strengthen his party for establishing lasting peace and accelerating developmental activities in the State.
Highlighting achievements of the three year tenure of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Mr Sharma asked the people to compare tenure of PDP led Government with the successive regimes of National Conference in the State. “Only PDP leadership has the vision to solve problems of people”, he said and pointed out it was only during the regime of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed that equal treatment was given to all regions and sub-regions.
Meanwhile, a total of eight candidates today filed their nomination papers for Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat taking total number of candidates to 11.
Apart from Madan Lal Sharma and Yash Pal Sharma, six other candidates, who filed their papers today, included Ved Prakash Gupta (Ved Mahajan), covering candidate of PDP, Subash Chander of Kissan Mazdoor Party, Girdhari Lal of Bharatiya Bahujan Party, Bahadur Singh Choudhary of Samajwadi Party, Raj Kumar and Nirmal Singh, both Independents.
Earlier, Ashok Bhagat of BSP, Labha Ram Gandhi of Refugee United Front and Vijay Kumar of Aam Manzoor Kissan Vikas Party had filed their nomination papers from Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat.
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