PDP-BJP valentine unlikely this week

Voices against tie-up with BJP get stronger in PDP after Delhi results

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

______

JAMMU, Feb 12: BJP’s near-total rout in the Delhi Assembly elections, coupled with fresh border skirmishes in Jammu and complete shutdown in the valley on execution anniversaries of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat on February 9th and 11th, have made the prospects of government formation between PDP and BJP bleak in Jammu and Kashmir---at least for the much awaited Valentine week.

Even as everybody other than the authorised spokespersons in the two parties is tight-lipped on the subject, one of the senior PDP leaders wishing anonymity disclosed to Authintmail that a host of recent developments had strengthened those who in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s party were not in favour of forging a coalition with Narendra Modi’s party and the government.

“PDP has the brightest prospects of emerging like Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party in J&K. It has risen from one to 16 to 28 since 2002. During the same period, National Conference under Omar Abdullah’s leadership has fallen from 58 to 28 to 15. It has been completely wiped out from both Houses of Parliament where we have five MPs today. So clearly our arch rival on the mainstream political firmament is facing extinction. But if we became bedfellows with the RSS-led BJP, it will be suicidal for PDP and NC could stage a comeback in the next Assembly elections whenever those are held”, said the senior PDP leader who has been returned three times in a row since 2002.

“Mufti Sahab has rightly advised Mr Modi and the BJP to take a lesson from the Delhi elections. But we think we in PDP have to take two: Kejriwal didn’t care a bit about flow of funds from the Centre. He categorically refused to accept BJP’s support. He demonstrated spectacular self-confidence, patience and perseverance and waited for a year until he demolished both BJP as well as Congress at the hustings in the Union capital. On the other hands, J&K leaders like Farooq Abdullah and Mufti Sahab have said publicly that partnership with the Central ruling party was a must to ensure flow of funds from New Delhi. They want to grab power by hook or by crook. Their politics is clearly an antithesis of AAP’s theory and practical”, said the PDP leader.

On the other hand, men of consequence in Mr Sayeed’s organisation insist that “good and transparent governance”---which they claim Mufti’s government could provide---was the only answer to all uncertainty in Kashmir. “Mufti Sahab knows it well that politics is not just contesting the elections and winning the seats. Making a government is its first and last goal. If we don’t grab this opportunity even after bagging 28 seats and emerging as the single largest party, and fail to form the government, someone else will. We have been in opposition in six years and we cannot afford this status for another six years. So, there should be some give-and-take and we must have a government in place as soon as possible”, said a first time MLA.

Yet another leader maintained that shutdowns and clashes, like the current one in Kupwara over an alleged custodial killing, had been happening since 1990. He asserted that such developments should not affect the morale of the legislators who have won with huge mandate in the high turnout Assembly elections. “Being in government, we can hold credible inquiries and punish the guilty. What can we do as Opposition?” he asked. According to him, there was no going back for Mufti after PDP and BJP contested the Rajya Sabha elections in partnership against the NC-Congress combination.

“PDP has become bedfellow with BJP the day we contested the Rajya Sabha elections together. In fact in the Assembly elections too, there was an understanding to help each other between the two parties. In five segments like Kishtwar (where BJP candidate got 2800 votes in the fully Muslim belt of Marwa and Wadwan), BJP won because of PDP’s tactical support. We have already exposed ourselves. So even if we take a hard stand and do not form the government with BJP, we would be in a tight spot in the by-elections”, the young legislator asserted.

END

Senior IPS officer threatened J&K MLA: "If you don't abstain or vote for BJP, CBI will reopen Srinagar sex scandal case"

https://www.authintmail.com/2015/kashmir/am-exclusive-ips-official-threatened-mla-defeat-me-says-ghulam-nabi-azad-185322


Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
_________
JAMMU, Feb 8: Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was elected on one of the four vacant seats for the Upper House from Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, is lodging a written complaint with the President of India as well as the Election Commission of India against a senior Indian Police Service [IPS] officer for an alleged attempt of “coercion and intimidation” in the February 7th election. The IPS officer had allegedly attempted to intimidate an independent MLA for the purpose of seeking his vote for the ruling BJP.

Sources privy to the purported development disclosed to Authintmail that the senior Police official had established contact with an independent MLA and made it clear to him that that the CBI would be “forced” to reopen the case of his alleged involvement in the infamous Srinagar Sex Scandal of 2006 on the basis of a direction of the Division Bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Name of the MLA, who also functioned as a Cabinet Minister in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s PDP-Congress coalition government in 2002-2005, figures among the 15 persons whose involvement in the sex scandal had been mentioned by some victims and witnesses during their statements before the investigators and a judge. However, the CBI did not act on the direction, concluded the investigation and filed the chargesheets against a select group of the accused who included senior officials, legislators and two former Ministers.

Exactly when different political parties were making strenuous efforts to rope in two particular independent MLAs holding key to Mr Azad’s victory or defeat, a senior Police official allegedly advised one or both the members to either abstain from the voting or vote for a BJP candidate. This would have obviously ensured Mr Azad’s defeat and victory of the BJP candidate.

However, as soon as one of the two MLAs narrated the whole story to senior Congress leader and expressed his helplessness, Mr Azad attempted to ensure him that the CBI could not reopen a closed criminal case until there were substantial evidences or a direction from the Supreme Court of India like in an old matter against the BJP leader Amit Shah. Even Mr Shah was later exonerated by the court.

The visibly perturbed MLA, according to sources, was not satisfied. Thereupon, late on Friday night, Mr Azad called senior Supreme Court of India advocate KTS Tulsi who assured him on telephone from New Delhi that CBI could not be “forced” by any authority to reopen the closed criminal case against the J&K legislator. Thereafter, the MLA decided to vote for Mr Azad.

In order to ensure that there was no fresh attempt to intimidate or bribe the MLA or cause his absence, Mr Azad immediately issued a statement threatening to expose the “senior IPS officers” and get them punished under law of the land. He alleged in the statement that the BJP was adopting “unethical and undemocratic methods for coaxing, cajoling and coercing” the J&K legislators to seek their vote. He said such a tendency to “manipulate and subvert the democratic process is illegitimate, undemocratic and unethical.”

Mr Azad added: “The way MLAs are being chased by the leaders of so-called party with a difference, has exposed its democratic credentials. The way a section of top officials of the State, especially senior IPS officers are being used to garner support for BJP candidates in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, is unprecedented and dangerous for the normal functioning of the democratic process in the State. I know the officers who are chasing the MLAs to seek support for the BJP and their names will be forwarded to the Election Commission of India and the Governor.”

Bureaucratic sources disclosed that Mr Azad’s statement created ripples in the Prime Minister’s Office which took a serious note. As part of the damage control exercise, senior officials in Ministry of Home Affairs and the Central intelligence agencies were directed to ensure that nobody made any interference with the conduct of the Rajya Sabha elections in the politically sensitive northern border State where the common people have reposed faith in the democratic processes and institutions with their massive participation in the recent Assembly elections.

“Clear instructions were passed to all the security and intelligence agencies that they should refrain from resorting to any sort of horse-trading or influence on the independent MLAs for the crucial Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir”, a New Delhi datelined report in Greater Kashmir, quoting highly placed but unnamed “sources in Government of India” said.

“They said that it was generally believed that the independent MLAs could be influenced in order to secure votes for BJP candidates. However, Prime Minister’s Office had about two days back issued directives to the agencies. They were asked not to use any kind of influence even if BJP leadership in the State wanted them t0”, said the report quoting anonymous sources


BJP calls it rubbish

The BJP spokesperson in J&K Khalid Jehangir dismissed Mr Azad’s allegation as “rubbish”, claiming credit that the BJP under Narendra Modi’s leadership had restored sanctity and credibility of the Indian democratic process after a long time.

“Rigging the polls, bribing and intimidating the candidates and the voters and misusing the official machinery have been all characteristic of the Congress in the last over 60 years. Be that 1972, 1977 or 1989, polls in J&K were rigged and manipulated only by Congress. Even in the previous Rajya Sabha elections, it was Congress that misused the official machinery”, Mr Jehangir asserted. He said that levelling unsubstantiated allegations, that could undermine the credibility of the democratic institutions in J&K, was not expected from a leader of Mr Azad’s stature and seniority. “Had the BJP used such influences, we could have swept the Assembly polls in Kashmir valley. The BJP government made it a point that there was no interference from any agency”.

 END

Azad to lodge complaint of “coercion” with President, ECI

IPS official threatened MLA: “If you don’t abstain or vote for BJP, CBI will reopen Srinagar sex scam case”

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

_________

JAMMU, Feb 8: Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was elected on one of the four vacant seats for the Upper House from Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, is lodging a written complaint with the President of India as well as the Election Commission of India against a senior Indian Police Service [IPS] officer for an alleged attempt of “coercion and intimidation” in the February 7^th election. The IPS officer had allegedly attempted to intimidate an independent MLA for the purpose of seeking his vote for the ruling BJP.

Sources privy to the purported development disclosed to Authintmail that the senior Police official had established contact with an independent MLA and made it clear to him that that the CBI would be “forced” to reopen the case of his alleged involvement in the infamous Srinagar Sex Scandal of 2006 on the basis of a direction of the Division Bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Name of the MLA, who also functioned as a Cabinet Minister in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s PDP-Congress coalition government in 2002-2005, figures among the 15 persons whose involvement in the sex scandal had been mentioned by some victims and witnesses during their statements before the investigators and a judge. However, the CBI did not act on the direction, concluded the investigation and filed the chargesheets against a select group of the accused who included senior officials, legislators and two former Ministers.

Exactly when different political parties were making strenuous efforts to rope in two particular independent MLAs holding key to Mr Azad’s victory or defeat, a senior Police official allegedly advised one or both the members to either abstain from the voting or vote for a BJP candidate. This would have obviously ensured Mr Azad’s defeat and victory of the BJP candidate.

However, as soon as one of the two MLAs narrated the whole story to senior Congress leader and expressed his helplessness, Mr Azad attempted to ensure him that the CBI could not reopen a closed criminal case until there were substantial evidences or a direction from the Supreme Court of India like in an old matter against the BJP leader Amit Shah. Even Mr Shah was later exonerated by the court.

The visibly perturbed MLA, according to sources, was not satisfied. Thereupon, late on Friday night, Mr Azad called senior Supreme Court of India advocate KTS Tulsi who assured him on telephone from New Delhi that CBI could not be “forced” by any authority to reopen the closed criminal case against the J&K legislator. Thereafter, the MLA decided to vote for Mr Azad.

In order to ensure that there was no fresh attempt to intimidate or bribe the MLA or cause his absence, Mr Azad immediately issued a statement threatening to expose the “senior IPS officers” and get them punished under law of the land. He alleged in the statement that the BJP was adopting “unethical and undemocratic methods for coaxing, cajoling and coercing” the J&K legislators to seek their vote. He said such a tendency to “manipulate and subvert the democratic process is illegitimate, undemocratic and unethical.”

Mr Azad added: “The way MLAs are being chased by the leaders of so-called party with a difference, has exposed its democratic credentials. The way a section of top officials of the State, especially senior IPS officers are being used to garner support for BJP candidates in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, is unprecedented and dangerous for the normal functioning of the democratic process in the State.  I know the officers who are chasing the MLAs to seek support for the BJP and their names will be forwarded to the Election Commission of India and the Governor.”

Bureaucratic sources disclosed that Mr Azad’s statement created ripples in the Prime Minister’s Office which took a serious note. As part of the damage control exercise, senior officials in Ministry of Home Affairs and the Central intelligence agencies were directed to ensure that nobody made any interference with the conduct of the Rajya Sabha elections in the politically sensitive northern border State where the common people have reposed faith in the democratic processes and institutions with their massive participation in the recent Assembly elections.

“Clear instructions were passed to all the security and intelligence agencies that they should refrain from resorting to any sort of horse-trading or influence on the independent MLAs for the crucial Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir”,  a New Delhi datelined report in Greater Kashmir, quoting highly placed but unnamed “sources in Government of India” said.

“They said that it was generally believed that the independent MLAs could be influenced in order to secure votes for BJP candidates. However, Prime Minister’s Office had about two days back issued directives to the agencies. They were asked not to use any kind of influence even if BJP leadership in the State wanted them t0”, said the report quoting anonymous sources

BJP calls it rubbish

The BJP spokesperson in J&K Khalid Jehangir dismissed Mr Azad’s allegation as “rubbish”, claiming credit that the BJP under Narendra Modi’s leadership had restored sanctity and credibility of the Indian democratic process after a long time.

“Rigging the polls, bribing and intimidating the candidates and the voters and misusing the official machinery have been all characteristic of the Congress in the last over 60 years. Be that 1972, 1977 or 1989, polls in J&K were rigged and manipulated only by Congress. Even in the previous Rajya Sabha elections, it was Congress that misused the official machinery”, Mr Jehangir asserted. He said that levelling unsubstantiated allegations, that could undermine the credibility of the democratic institutions in J&K, was not expected from a leader of Mr Azad’s stature and seniority. “Had the BJP used such influences, we could have swept the Assembly polls in Kashmir valley. The BJP government made it a point that there was no interference from any agency”.

END

Azad to lodge complaint of “coercion” with President, ECI

IPS official threatened MLA: “If you don’t abstain or vote for BJP, CBI will reopen Srinagar sex scam case”

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

_________

JAMMU, Feb 8: Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was elected on one of the four vacant seats for the Upper House from Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, is lodging a written complaint with the President of India as well as the Election Commission of India against a senior Indian Police Service [IPS] officer for an alleged attempt of “coercion and intimidation” in the February 7^th election. The IPS officer had allegedly attempted to intimidate an independent MLA for the purpose of seeking his vote for the ruling BJP.

Sources privy to the purported development disclosed to Authintmail that the senior Police official had established contact with an independent MLA and made it clear to him that that the CBI would be “forced” to reopen the case of his alleged involvement in the infamous Srinagar Sex Scandal of 2006 on the basis of a direction of the Division Bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Name of the MLA, who also functioned as a Cabinet Minister in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s PDP-Congress coalition government in 2002-2005, figures among the 15 persons whose involvement in the sex scandal had been mentioned by some victims and witnesses during their statements before the investigators and a judge. However, the CBI did not act on the direction, concluded the investigation and filed the chargesheets against a select group of the accused who included senior officials, legislators and two former Ministers.

Exactly when different political parties were making strenuous efforts to rope in two particular independent MLAs holding key to Mr Azad’s victory or defeat, a senior Police official allegedly advised one or both the members to either abstain from the voting or vote for a BJP candidate. This would have obviously ensured Mr Azad’s defeat and victory of the BJP candidate.

However, as soon as one of the two MLAs narrated the whole story to senior Congress leader and expressed his helplessness, Mr Azad attempted to ensure him that the CBI could not reopen a closed criminal case until there were substantial evidences or a direction from the Supreme Court of India like in an old matter against the BJP leader Amit Shah. Even Mr Shah was later exonerated by the court.

The visibly perturbed MLA, according to sources, was not satisfied. Thereupon, late on Friday night, Mr Azad called senior Supreme Court of India advocate KTS Tulsi who assured him on telephone from New Delhi that CBI could not be “forced” by any authority to reopen the closed criminal case against the J&K legislator. Thereafter, the MLA decided to vote for Mr Azad.

In order to ensure that there was no fresh attempt to intimidate or bribe the MLA or cause his absence, Mr Azad immediately issued a statement threatening to expose the “senior IPS officers” and get them punished under law of the land. He alleged in the statement that the BJP was adopting “unethical and undemocratic methods for coaxing, cajoling and coercing” the J&K legislators to seek their vote. He said such a tendency to “manipulate and subvert the democratic process is illegitimate, undemocratic and unethical.”

Mr Azad added: “The way MLAs are being chased by the leaders of so-called party with a difference, has exposed its democratic credentials. The way a section of top officials of the State, especially senior IPS officers are being used to garner support for BJP candidates in the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections, is unprecedented and dangerous for the normal functioning of the democratic process in the State.  I know the officers who are chasing the MLAs to seek support for the BJP and their names will be forwarded to the Election Commission of India and the Governor.”

Bureaucratic sources disclosed that Mr Azad’s statement created ripples in the Prime Minister’s Office which took a serious note. As part of the damage control exercise, senior officials in Ministry of Home Affairs and the Central intelligence agencies were directed to ensure that nobody made any interference with the conduct of the Rajya Sabha elections in the politically sensitive northern border State where the common people have reposed faith in the democratic processes and institutions with their massive participation in the recent Assembly elections.

“Clear instructions were passed to all the security and intelligence agencies that they should refrain from resorting to any sort of horse-trading or influence on the independent MLAs for the crucial Rajya Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir”,  a New Delhi datelined report in Greater Kashmir, quoting highly placed but unnamed “sources in Government of India” said.

“They said that it was generally believed that the independent MLAs could be influenced in order to secure votes for BJP candidates. However, Prime Minister’s Office had about two days back issued directives to the agencies. They were asked not to use any kind of influence even if BJP leadership in the State wanted them t0”, said the report quoting anonymous sources

BJP calls it rubbish

The BJP spokesperson in J&K Khalid Jehangir dismissed Mr Azad’s allegation as “rubbish”, claiming credit that the BJP under Narendra Modi’s leadership had restored sanctity and credibility of the Indian democratic process after a long time.

“Rigging the polls, bribing and intimidating the candidates and the voters and misusing the official machinery have been all characteristic of the Congress in the last over 60 years. Be that 1972, 1977 or 1989, polls in J&K were rigged and manipulated only by Congress. Even in the previous Rajya Sabha elections, it was Congress that misused the official machinery”, Mr Jehangir asserted. He said that levelling unsubstantiated allegations, that could undermine the credibility of the democratic institutions in J&K, was not expected from a leader of Mr Azad’s stature and seniority. “Had the BJP used such influences, we could have swept the Assembly polls in Kashmir valley. The BJP government made it a point that there was no interference from any agency”.

END

Azad has the last laugh in J&K elections on Rajya Sabha seats

Mufti hardens stand after BJP’s reverses in J&K, Delhi

 

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

________

JAMMU, Feb 7: Suffering its second successive setback after the failure of its ‘Mission 44 Plus’ in the recent Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP on Saturday was forced to play second fiddle to the bigger alliance partner PDP in the elections on four Rajya Sabha seats.

Even as both of the PDP’s young candidates---Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Nazir Ahmad Laway---were elected for the House of the Elders and both of the NC’s candidates---Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo and Nasir Aslam Wani---were defeated in the straight contest on the first two seats, BJP had to be content with the one-odd victory of its former State president Shamsher Singh Manhas. BJP’s advocate Chander Mohan Sharma got eliminated as the Congress candidate and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad polled the maximum, 30 votes, on one of the two seats combined in the third notification.

As per the procedure, two of the four vacant seats had been advertised through two separate notifications. Since the PDP and the BJP, which together had 53 votes besides the support of two MLAs of Peoples Conference and two independent members (Bakir Rizvi of Zanskar and Pawan Gupta of Udhampur), had forged an alliance, they got one each in the straight contest. However, one of the alliance’s votes seemed to have gone inadvertently to NOTA.

Leaders of the alliance, wishing anonymity, maintained that PC’s Kupwara MLA advocate Bashir Ahmad Dar was not inclined from day one to give his vote to PDP’s Mir Fayaz who had been defeated by the former in a bitterly fought Assembly election. As the PDP candidate polled only 56, BJP’s Mr Manhas got all the 57. The NC candidates on the two seats, Mr Kichloo and Mr Wani, got 29 each---15 from NC, 12 from Congress besides two votes of CPM’s Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and the PDF MLA Hakeem Yasin. Independent MLA Engineer Rashid did not vote for the NC candidates.

The most crucial contest on the two seats of the third notification went in favour of the Congress candidate Mr Azad and the PDP candidate Nazir Ahmad Laway. Mr Azad got all 29 votes of the NC-Congress alliance besides Mr Rashid’s vote. Mr Laway polled 29---PDP’s 28 and one from the PDP’s associate member Mr Bakir. Since 29 of the PDP-BJP alliance’s 57 votes went to the PDP candidate Mr Laway, BJP’s Chander Mohammad Sharma got eliminated as he was left with total of 28 votes.

 

Azad’s victory after high drama

According to well-placed political sources, BJP had left no stone unturned to ensure the victory of all four of the PDP-BJP alliance candidates. Attempts to cause tactical absence of three members---two independent MLAs and one from Congress---failed as Mr Azad kept camping in Jammu. He reportedly sorted out “some misunderstandings” with a “disillusioned Congress MLA” and roped in both, Mr Hakeem and Mr Rashid, reminding one that Congress had not fielded any candidate against him in the recent Assembly elections and assuring another that he had no knowledge of the Centre’s decision of Afzal Guru’s execution. 

According to the knowledgeable sources, the angry MLA, who has taken a hard stand on Guru’s execution, was convinced that it was none other than Mr Azad who had got the implementation of the Delhi High Court judgment suspended for seven long years. Besides, Mr Azad, according to the sources, reminded Mr Rashid that it was none other than the former Congress Chief Minister who put a permanent end to the custodial killings when he got 11 J&K Police officials, including then SSP Ganderbal Hans Raj Parihar, arrested and prosecuted in the killing of five innocent civilians in fake encounters.

Sources said that Mr Rashid voted for Mr Azad only after he got an assurance that the Congress-NC alliance would struggle for “justice” to Guru’s family.

Mr Azad, as well as Congress party, had a high stake in the victory as the former Union Health Minister had lost last year’s Lok Sabha election---his first from the home State of J&K---from Udhampur-Doda seat to BJP’s Dr Jitendra Singh in the countrywide Modi Wave. Currently, a Rajya Sabha member from J&K, Mr Azad was his party’s face in the Parliament and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. His defeat on Saturday would have virtually ended his 45-year-long political career.

Setback for BJP

Having failed in its much-hyped ‘Mission 44 Plus’, BJP suffered a major setback in the defeat of its second candidate. Senior leaders, including the party chief Amit Shah, had repeatedly exuded confidence and claimed in many of their interviews to the media that the BJP was “fully confident” of the victory of all of the PDP-BJP alliance candidates. Insiders revealed that the State president and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma drew flak from a number of his colleagues for the “poor strategy”. Some of the BJP leaders even began to hold Mr Sharma responsible for fielding “weak candidates” in the Assembly segments of Bishna, Nagrota and Udhampur---all lost by the BJP.

Interestingly, immediately after the results came out and the Exit polls indicated BJP’s inferiority to the Aam Aadmi Party [AAP] in Saturday’s Assembly elections in Delhi, the PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed hardened his stand, claiming that his party would accept no compromise on certain fundamental issues including Article 370 and J&K Armed Forces Special Powers Act [AFSPA].

 

END

 

https://www.authintmail.com/2015/kashmir/azad-re-elected-rajya-sabha-bjp-loses-further-ground-kashmir-politics-182239

Azad has the last laugh in J&K elections on Rajya Sabha seats

Mufti hardens stand after BJP’s reverses in J&K, Delhi

 

https://www.authintmail.com/2015/kashmir/azad-re-elected-rajya-sabha-bjp-loses-further-ground-kashmir-politics-182239

 

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

________

JAMMU, Feb 7: Suffering its second successive setback after the failure of its ‘Mission 44 Plus’ in the recent Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP on Saturday was forced to play second fiddle to the bigger alliance partner PDP in the elections on four Rajya Sabha seats.

Even as both of the PDP’s young candidates---Mir Mohammad Fayaz and Nazir Ahmad Laway---were elected for the House of the Elders and both of the NC’s candidates---Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo and Nasir Aslam Wani---were defeated in the straight contest on the first two seats, BJP had to be content with the one-odd victory of its former State president Shamsher Singh Manhas. BJP’s advocate Chander Mohan Sharma got eliminated as the Congress candidate and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad polled the maximum, 30 votes, on one of the two seats combined in the third notification.

As per the procedure, two of the four vacant seats had been advertised through two separate notifications. Since the PDP and the BJP, which together had 53 votes besides the support of two MLAs of Peoples Conference and two independent members (Bakir Rizvi of Zanskar and Pawan Gupta of Udhampur), had forged an alliance, they got one each in the straight contest. However, one of the alliance’s votes seemed to have gone inadvertently to NOTA.

Leaders of the alliance, wishing anonymity, maintained that PC’s Kupwara MLA advocate Bashir Ahmad Dar was not inclined from day one to give his vote to PDP’s Mir Fayaz who had been defeated by the former in a bitterly fought Assembly election. As the PDP candidate polled only 56, BJP’s Mr Manhas got all the 57. The NC candidates on the two seats, Mr Kichloo and Mr Wani, got 29 each---15 from NC, 12 from Congress besides two votes of CPM’s Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami and the PDF MLA Hakeem Yasin. Independent MLA Engineer Rashid did not vote for the NC candidates.

The most crucial contest on the two seats of the third notification went in favour of the Congress candidate Mr Azad and the PDP candidate Nazir Ahmad Laway. Mr Azad got all 29 votes of the NC-Congress alliance besides Mr Rashid’s vote. Mr Laway polled 29---PDP’s 28 and one from the PDP’s associate member Mr Bakir. Since 29 of the PDP-BJP alliance’s 57 votes went to the PDP candidate Mr Laway, BJP’s Chander Mohammad Sharma got eliminated as he was left with total of 28 votes.

 

Azad’s victory after high drama

According to well-placed political sources, BJP had left no stone unturned to ensure the victory of all four of the PDP-BJP alliance candidates. Attempts to cause tactical absence of three members---two independent MLAs and one from Congress---failed as Mr Azad kept camping in Jammu. He reportedly sorted out “some misunderstandings” with a “disillusioned Congress MLA” and roped in both, Mr Hakeem and Mr Rashid, reminding one that Congress had not fielded any candidate against him in the recent Assembly elections and assuring another that he had no knowledge of the Centre’s decision of Afzal Guru’s execution. 

According to the knowledgeable sources, the angry MLA, who has taken a hard stand on Guru’s execution, was convinced that it was none other than Mr Azad who had got the implementation of the Delhi High Court judgment suspended for seven long years. Besides, Mr Azad, according to the sources, reminded Mr Rashid that it was none other than the former Congress Chief Minister who put a permanent end to the custodial killings when he got 11 J&K Police officials, including then SSP Ganderbal Hans Raj Parihar, arrested and prosecuted in the killing of five innocent civilians in fake encounters.

Sources said that Mr Rashid voted for Mr Azad only after he got an assurance that the Congress-NC alliance would struggle for “justice” to Guru’s family.

Mr Azad, as well as Congress party, had a high stake in the victory as the former Union Health Minister had lost last year’s Lok Sabha election---his first from the home State of J&K---from Udhampur-Doda seat to BJP’s Dr Jitendra Singh in the countrywide Modi Wave. Currently, a Rajya Sabha member from J&K, Mr Azad was his party’s face in the Parliament and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. His defeat on Saturday would have virtually ended his 45-year-long political career.

Setback for BJP

Having failed in its much-hyped ‘Mission 44 Plus’, BJP suffered a major setback in the defeat of its second candidate. Senior leaders, including the party chief Amit Shah, had repeatedly exuded confidence and claimed in many of their interviews to the media that the BJP was “fully confident” of the victory of all of the PDP-BJP alliance candidates. Insiders revealed that the State president and MP Jugal Kishore Sharma drew flak from a number of his colleagues for the “poor strategy”. Some of the BJP leaders even began to hold Mr Sharma responsible for fielding “weak candidates” in the Assembly segments of Bishna, Nagrota and Udhampur---all lost by the BJP.

Interestingly, immediately after the results came out and the Exit polls indicated BJP’s inferiority to the Aam Aadmi Party [AAP] in Saturday’s Assembly elections in Delhi, the PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed hardened his stand, claiming that his party would accept no compromise on certain fundamental issues including Article 370 and J&K Armed Forces Special Powers Act [AFSPA].

 

END

BREAKING NEWS
Final results of Rajya Sabha elections in J&K

Exactly as I had predicted on Facebook yesterday and today when the polling started, Fayaz Ahmad Mir of PDP, Shamsher Singh Manhas of BJP, Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress and Nazir Ahmad Laway of PDP have won the Rajya Sabha election on the four vacant J&K seats today.

After completion of the counting of votes, Returning Officer and Secretary Legislative Assembly Mohammad Ramzan has declared the following candidates as winners:

SEAT NO: 1 Winner PDP

PDP’s Fayaz Ahmad Mir [PDP-BJP alliance candidate] has polled total of 56 votes as one of his voters has inadvertently cast the vote to NOTA. [PDP 28+ Bakir+ BJP 25+ PC 2 + Pawan Gupta= 57]. His only rival and NC’s Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo [NC-Congress alliance candidate] has polled total of 29 votes [NC 15+ Congress 12+ Tarigami+ Yaseen]. Fayaz Ahmad Mir has been declared as winner.

 

SEAT NO: 2 Winner BJP

BJP’s Shamsher Singh Manhas [PDP-BJP alliance candidate] has polled total of 57 votes [PDP 28+ Bakir+ BJP 25+ PC 2 + Pawan Gupta= 57]. His only rival and NC’s Nasir Aslam Wani [NC-Congress alliance candidate] has polled total of 29 votes [NC 15+ Congress 12+ Tarigami+ Yaseen = 29]. Shamsher Singh Manhas has been declared as winner.

 

SEAT NO: 3 Winner Congress

Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress [NC-Congress alliance candidate on Seat 3rd/4th]] has polled total of 30 votes [NC 15+ Congress 12+ Tarigami+ Yasin+ Er Rashid = 30]. Mr Azad has been declared as winner.

 

SEAT No: 4 Winner PDP

PDP’s Nazir Ahmad Laway [PDP-BJP alliance candidate on seat 3rd/4th] has polled total of 29 votes [PDP 28+ Bakir = 29]. Mr Laway has been declared as winner.

 

[BJP’s Chander Mohan Sharma [PDP-BJP alliance candidate on seat 3^rd/4^th] polled total of 28 votes [BJP 25+ PC 2+ Pawan Gupta =28] and failed].

 

END

BREAKING NEWS: RAJYA SABHA ELECTION

Azad wins, BJP suffers second electoral setback in J&K, PDP bags 2 seats

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

JAMMU, Feb 7: Precisely as I had given out in my fb post post at the beginning of the voting today and also yesterday, Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress-NC alliance has got 30 votes (NC 15+ Congress 12+ Tarigami + Hakeem + Rashid) and thus become winner on the 3rd seat. BJP's Chander Mohan Sharma is the loser with 28 votes (BJP 25+ PC 2+ Pawan Gupta). Nazir Ahmad Laway of PDP is the winner with 29 votes (PDP 28+ Baqir) on the 4th seat. On the first two seats, PDP's Fayaz Ahmad Mir and BJP's Shamsher Singh Manhas are the winners. The counting has just begun and is currently underway. RESULTS ARE LIKELY TO GE DECLARED ANYTIME FROM 6 TO 7 PM.

WINNERS

PDP = 2 (FAYAZ AHMED MIR, NAZIR AHMAD LAWAY)

BJP = 1 (SHAMSHER SINGH MANHAS)

Cong = 1 (GHULAM NABI AZAD)

(NOTE: This is subject to the final counting but I am sure it will not be wrong).