As polling for the penultimate round of the eight-phase district development council elections was held in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, all the major political parties, especially in the valley, seem to be keeping their doors open for the members who broke away to contest as independent candidates.
The last phase of voting will be held on Saturday, while the counting is scheduled on December 22.
Though dozens of political workers and office-bearers of various parties contested the elections as independent candidates, no disciplinary action has been initiated against them by the respective leaderships.
Political analysts believe that the big parties may be planning to pull the winning independent candidates back to the fold.
“If the candidates emerge victorious, the parties will own them and use their crucial votes to bargain for the post of chairman in the DDCs. Not initiating action against such candidates by now indicates that the party leaders have kept doors open for their return,” said Asim Bhat, journalist and political analyst.
PDP patron Muzuffar Beigh, who claimed to have resigned from the party, and his wife Safeena Beigh contested from the Wagoora seat in Sangrama in Baramulla as independent candidates. Safeena is still the president of the PDP’s women wing as the party has officially not taken any action against her.
Beigh even deferred his press conference which could be an indication that they could be owned by the party after polls. Moreover, half a dozen PDP workers contested from different places as independent candidates. Similarly, several Congress, National Conference and the People’s Conference workers and leaders also contested as independents from various DDC constituencies. Even the BJP had to face rebellion from half a dozen workers and leaders in Kashmir, but it too didn’t act against them.
{{/usCountry}}Beigh even deferred his press conference which could be an indication that they could be owned by the party after polls. Moreover, half a dozen PDP workers contested from different places as independent candidates. Similarly, several Congress, National Conference and the People’s Conference workers and leaders also contested as independents from various DDC constituencies. Even the BJP had to face rebellion from half a dozen workers and leaders in Kashmir, but it too didn’t act against them.
{{/usCountry}}However, the parties have denied these projections.
When asked, the spokesperson of PDP said the party president had already made it clear that those candidates who defied PAGD were no more its part. “Beigh has left the party and his wife also contested against the PAGD candidate, so they are automatically out.” He added that the same rule applied to all other workers and leaders who went against the main fold.
People’s Conference spokesman Adnan Ashraf said the party leadership would wait until the elections are over to deliberate on this issue.
NC spokesman Imran Nabi Dar claimed that none of their prominent leaders or workers had defied the party. “There may have been an odd case, but overall, our party workers remained loyal to the leadership,” said Dar.
BJP state spokesman Altaf Thakur said that action has been already taken against the leaders or workers who defied party directions...“We have taken action. Even if some of them win they won’t be taken back in the party.”