Although the Delimitation Commission Report is awaited, the political parties, without mentioning the possibility of elections, have started campaigning to attract the electorate and keep the flock within the parties together.Earlier this year, Union minister Amit Shah had clarified that Assembly election in J&K would be held after the delimitation process is completed and later statehood would be restored. The deadline for the submission of the delimitation commission is March next year, which has triggered speculations that election would be held around that time and before the annual Amarnath Yatra, which starts in June.Earlier this week, former chief minister of J&K Omar Abdullah, addressed a gathering in Inderwal region of Kishtwar, in Chenab region, where he insisted on fielding a local candidate if and when assembly election is held. “Though this is not the election time, but I have come to assure you that whenever the elections are declared–whether it 2022, 23 or 24–we will give preference to local candidate and not a candidate who will be dropped by the parachute or helicopter,” Abdullah was quoted as saying to those gathered. The NC leader said that the PDP’s coalition with the BJP in 2015 led J&K into a disaster, reiterating that he had offered Mufti Muhammad Sayed his unconditional support as he had foreseen a situation where constitutional guarantees would be snatched from the people of J&K. He addressed a gathering in Ramban on Thursday in which he accused New Delhi of not trusting muslims.“We don’t need tutorials on nationalism. New Delhi should stand by its promises made at the time of accession…,” said Abdullah in the rally.Over the last few weeks, another former chief minister of J&K, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, held public meetings in the Gool, RS Pora, Bishnah and Kishtwar areas of Jammu.“PDP was weakened by creating proxy parties which everyone is aware about. Then they created fissures within the NC in Jammu and those leaders directly joined the BJP,” Mufti told reporters at a function recently. Mufti said the Congress is being targeted and the BJP is trying to create two factions within that party as well. Recently, over 20 Congress members in J&K resigned from the party. They are said to be close to former Rajya Sabha opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. He has been conducting rallies and interacting independently in the Pir Panchal and Chenab regions. Azad’s engagements have triggered rumors that a separate political platform under his leadership would emerge in J&K ahead of assembly polls. On Wednesday, he has set off on a four-day tour of the Poonch-Rajouri region. He addressed a gathering in Poonch and interacted with people in Surankote and Rajouri as well. “Article 370 is in court…We are 300 MPs short. I can’t even say that in 2024 if Congress wins 300 MPs, we can do anything. God willing we will win but right now I don’t see that happening. So, I don’t want to make any false promises,” Azad said in a rally in Poonch. In another rally in Surankote, Azad accused the BJP government of failing to protect jobs and lands of locals.The J&K BJP’s president, Ravinder Raina, recently concluded a three-day tour of Kupwara, where he asserted that his party would emerge as a majority party in the upcoming assembly elections and the next chief minister of J&K would be from their party as well.“Statehood to the UT would be restored once J&K achieves normalcy, selective killings stop and a common man can move freely,” J&K BJP’s general secretary Ashok Koul said on the sidelines of a function in Bandipora of northern Kashmir. He informed that the delimitation commission is due to submit its report before March 6 next year. “Based on the report, 90 seats will go to polls immediately after the commission files the report,” he was quoted as saying.
Source: Economic Times
