Uphill task for Jammu & Kashmir Congress
The Congress like NC in the state is in doldrums
By : Yusuf Jameel
Update: 2014-11-08 01:51 GMT
SRINAGAR: The Congress had won 17 seats in the last Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections held in 2008, enabling it to align together with “like-minded” National Conference to cobble up a coalition and form the government in the state.
However, the “natural allies” have since virtually fallen apart and, in fact, were never on the same wavelength on crucial issues concerning the state such as revocation of contentious AFSPA, granting of citizenship rights to erstwhile West Pakistan refugees, legality of accession, rotational chief ministership.
The two often chose to wash their dirty linen in public. Also, the performance of their coalition rule has not only been dismal in many ways but has had many scams in its kitty.
The Congress like the NC in the state is in doldrums.
The list of 69 candidates the Congress high command issued for the remaining four phases of the J&K Assembly elections late Thursday night also has on it people who are unlikely to make much impact.
Even some of the ministers and other sitting MLAs who have been repeated by the party will find it difficult to get the electorate on their side once again. All the sitting ministers and other MLAs and former ministers and legislators who had lost the polls in 2008, have been given party tickets but the party is generally banking upon old faces.