J&K political parties gear up for Lok Sabha polls, reach out to supporters

Almost all the parties are reaching out to the people by holding conventions and rallies across Jammu and Kashmir

Braving winter chill and cold weather, political parties in the valley are gearing up and reaching out to the people across the UT for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in May likely to be followed by the assembly elections.

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Almost all the parties are reaching out to the people by holding conventions and rallies across J&K, and from next month the process will be accelerated, particularly when INDIA alliance in which three major parties, the National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress, will decide candidates for six Lok Sabha seats, comprising five from J&K and one in Ladakh. This could also signal whether the Gupkar Alliance will contest the elections jointly in J&K to defeat the BJP whose leadership is hopeful of forming a government with their allies in J&K.

While the Lok Sabha elections are due early next year, the Supreme Court recently directed that assembly election should be held before September next year.

PDP has been holding meetings of its parliamentary board in different parts of Kashmir to check parties preparation for the Lok Sabha polls, especially in its bastion south Kashmir where the party is still popular among the people that other parts of Kashmir.

“As a political party, the organisation keeps itself connected to workers and in this exercise keeps taking the party’s agenda to people. Yes, once the elections are announced the exercise becomes more aggressive,” said PDP spokesman Mohit Bhan. Another senior leader of the PDP said the party is part of the INDIA alliance, they are still testing the political capabilities of its cadres in different parts of Kashmir. “After 2018, the party leadership faced a lot of problems, even many top leaders left the party and there was huge pressure from the centre on our cadres. Despite impediments, new leaders joined us and many more are planning to join us in coming weeks which is a good sign for our party,” he said, adding that some people had discarded our party after many senior leaders had deserted the party. “Now half a dozen senior leaders including two former parliament members and former legislators have been urging party leadership to get them back ahead of Lok Sabha polls.”

Sources said some leaders in the INDIA alliance have advocated two seats from Kashmir for NC and one to PDP and two Jammu seats to Congress to give a tough fight to BJP on all five seats. Even India alliance leaders want Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti to contest on three Valley seats.

The NC district president Baramulla Sajjad Shafi said the party had requested vice president Omar Abdullah to contest from Baramulla. “In the delimitation exercise many areas of Beerwah assembly constituency that was represented by Omar Abdullah in the last assembly have become part of Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, so party cadres want him to contest from Baramulla this time,” he added.

However, some leaders within the NC want to contest from all three Kashmir seats based on the fact that in the last Lok Sabha polls all three seats were won by the party.

PAGD spokesman and CPI(M) general secretary Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami said time has come when parties shouldn’t think about personal interest. “We should be ready for any sacrifice otherwise things would be tough for all.”

Apni Party led by former minister Altaf Bukhari and Democratic Progressive Azad Party led by former J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad have been busy in organising rallies in different parts of J&K and preparing its cadres to face big political test in the Lok Sabha polls which will be held in May. While Azad will contest from Jammu province, some leaders have been suggesting Altaf Bukhari to contest Lok Sabha polls from his home district Baramulla.

Sources in the Peoples Conference said PC this time may ask its chairman Sajjad Lone to contest Lok Sabha polls from Baramulla. Last time, the party had emerged runner up on Baramulla Lok Sabha seat and with many leaders joining the party after 2019, party feels they have a strong chance to win this seat this time, though party will also contest elections from Srinagar and Anantnag Lok Sabha seats.

Bharatiya Janata Party that has never won either assembly or Lok Sabha seat from Kashmir has also turned its focus on three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir apart from Jammu and Udhampur Lok Sabha seats, which were won by party in the last Lok Sabha seats.

Party general secretary Ashok Koul and party J&K president Ravinder Raina have been touring different parts of Kashmir to strengthen the base of the party and the party has recently revamped its district bodies with a hope it can turn fortunes for the national party in Kashmir. “We are busy in holding meetings with our cadres and many new faces are joining us as the party is preparing for Lok Sabha polls in J&K, especially Kashmir. The party is ready for assembly polls which will be held next year after the Supreme Court decision. Even other political parties should prepare for these polls,” Koul told reporters in Srinagar on the sidelines of a function in which many people joined the saffron party.

Political analysts say first time leaders are hopeful that the assembly elections will be held in J&K in six months.

“After the SC decision, now hopes of assembly elections had rekindled within leaders of the regional parties. For the parties, the Lok Sabha polls will give an idea which way the new assembly in J&K will be formed and elections will be interesting and there is every possibility the participation of voters will increase manifold,” said political analyst Javeed Ahmad who also writes for vernacular dailies in J&K.