KL Report
Srinagar
With the expiry of the sitting members’ term in the State Legislative Council (LC), Coalition partners and Opposition Peoples Democratic Party are all set to field candidates for the contest as notification for election will be issued on February 11 by the Election Commission.
While the National Conference indicated that it would contest the polls as an ally of the Congress under seat sharing pattern, the state Congress however said the issue was yet to be decided.
Highly placed sources told a local news agency KNS, the returning officer Mohammad Ramzan will issue three notifications in this regard on February 11. The notification will be issued for 7 seats of Jammu and Kashmir provinces while as separate notification for the reserved seat of Doda will also be issued.
The LC election will be for the 8 seats falling vacant in March. The PDP is all set to will win one seat out of six while strong contest is likely to take place over the one seat falling vacant.
Sources told KNS, National Conference aspirants have started lobbying and are making an effort to get party nomination. Party sources said though the party leadership is yet to give a final call on the issue while many of the party workers are making an all out effort to secure the party ticket
“If the past practice is any indication, National Conference and Congress will work out an arrangement soon by virtue of which NC will field 3 candidates from Kashmir valley and 1 from Jammu and the Congress will field 3 from Jammu and 1 candidate from Kashmir. There are as many as 19 party workers from Kashmir valley in race for the nomination”, said sources.
Front runners for two seats from Kashmir division in NC party are Party Spokesperson, Tanvir Sadiq from Srinagar, Dr Mohammad Shafi and Sayed Abdul Rashid from South Kashmir and Ghulam Hasan Rahi from North Kashmir.
Sources further said ex-MLA from Hazratbal, Mohammad Sayed Akhoon who was promised a seat in the Upper House when Dr Mustafa Kamaal was fielded from his constituency in 2008 has been again left out. Akhoon has been told to get ready for contesting Assembly election from Hazratbal next year.
Sources inside the party said that in Jammu province Devender Rana and Rattan Lal Gupta are the front runners for MLC seat.
Meanwhile, National Conference Additional General Secretary, Sheikh Mustafa Kamal said the party would work out an arrangement with its coalition partner, Congress. “We have worked in tandem in last LC elections and the same would continue”, he said.
To discuss and consider the strategy for LC elections, Pradesh Congress Committee President, Professor Saif-ud-Din Soz, Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad and AICC General Secretary in charge J&K, Mohan Prakash are likely to meet on February 8 in New Delhi to discuss the party nominees for March 7 elections, said sources.
JKPCC president Saifuddin Soz confirmed that the party will decide the future course of action with regard to the LC elections in a meeting to be held shortly.
Meanwhile, according to sources in both the parties, a final call on seat sharing by National Conference and state Congress will be taken in the coalition coordination meeting to be held shortly. They said a plan will be worked out by the two parties after consultation within their parties.
Opposition PDP will field candidates that would be unlikely to stand for the 2014 Assembly elections, said sources in the party.
Sources said that senior party leaders, Peer Mohammad Hussain, Nayeem Akhtar, Sayed Altaf Bukhari and Murtaza Khan could be the potential nominees for the Upper House. They, however, claimed that Peer Hussain could be the first choice for the party.
PDP sources further said that the party will try to take Panthers Party on board to secure at least two seats from Jammu province. However, sources declined to comment as to whether the party will approach both factions of BJP for their support in the elections to the 8 MLC seats.
It merits a mention here that eight members of the J&K Legislative Council are retiring on March 16 and they will be elected by members of the State Legislative Assembly. While four of the seats are from Kashmir province, the rest are from Jammu Province of the State. The eight retiring MLCs are Mohammad Yousuf Taing (NC), Ali Mohammad Bhat (Congress), Mohammad Amin Bhat (Congress), Nizam-ud-Din Khatana (PDP), Rajinder Singh Chib (Congress), Devinder Singh Rana (NC), Murtaza Ahmad Khan (PDP) and Naresh Kumar Gupta (Congress).
