Jammu and Kashmir goes to assembly polls on September on September 18th, 25th and October 1 and the results will be out on October 4 . The political parties have begun their campaigning with the National Conference taking the lead . NC has already stitched a seat sharing deal with the Congress .
In the 90 member assembly Congress will contest 32 seats while NC will contest 51 . The alliance between the Congress and the National Conference peeved the BJP . Home Minister Amit Shah questioned Congress on the NC manifesto. But Shah while lashing out on the alliance conveniently forgot that it was the same National Conference that was part of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led NDA in 1999 . And Omar Abdullah , then was was the Union Minister of State for External affairs from 23 July 2001 to 23 December 2002 . Does that mean Shah is now questioning the political decision of Vajpayee or the then NDA leadership ?. To add to Shah’s woes Mehbooba Mufti too has extended support to the Congress – NC alliance.
Reacting to Amit Shah’s jibe at NC Manifesto, Omar Abdullah, National Conference Vice- president , reportedly remarked, “I thank Amit Shah for mentioning the manifesto of a small party. It means our campaign has attracted his attention. I reviewed our manifesto after Shah’s remarks on X, and I found that none of the issues he mentioned are actually in our manifesto. However, it is a significant achievement for us that the Home Minister of the country has read our party’s manifesto.”
Why do I get the feeling the BJP & its leaders don’t like us very much? 😄 https://t.co/JdHI9MdBgb
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 23, 2024
Shah was not alone in attack on NC- Congress tie-up , Smriti Irani , who lost to K L Sharma ( Congress) from Amethi in Lok Sabha Polls 2o24 , who did not utter a word on Brij Bhushan Singh Saran or Vinesh Phogat when she was dragged on the streets of Delhi under own watch as Union Women and Child development minister had the audacity to question the Congress – NC alliance.
Reacting to BJP jibe at Congress- NC pact, “Have we ever asked the BJP whom they will ally with? Then why is the BJP questioning us? Had the BJP not allied with the National Conference or PDP in the past? They did. When you have done this before, why are you questioning us about our alliance?” ANI quoted Randeep Singh Surjewala Rajya Sabha MP as saying.
As far as PDP is concerned , BJP also had an alliance with Mehbooba Mufti after the 2014 Assembly Polls . Godi media expectedly will not highlight this reality and fact . Mufti s the first woman to hold the office of Chief Minister in the J&K. . 4 April 2016 to 19 June 2018 after the BJP withdrew from the coalition.
So BJP in a sense had done business with both the regional parties in Jammu and Kashmir – NC and PDP. Hence BJP’s bitterness towards these two regional parties is nothing but laughable.
The forthcoming polls are massive for all the parties in the fray be it the BJP, Congress, National Conference and the PDP . Congress would be hoping that its momentum gained in the Lok Sabha Polls 2024 continue . National Conference and PDP have their task cut- out . They had both backed statehood and eagerly awaiting the elections . This is battle for their political survival in the state and the battle to stay relevant.
Finally , For the BJP it is an acid test and test of their Naya Kashmir narrative as flashed regularly by the Godi Media . BJP all along has spoken off the outreach/ huge development and investment push post August 5, 2019 . Hence with this feel good factor it is assumed that a BJP government should come to power in the state. If their Goodwill has been a success. Moreover, If they fall short/ unable then it will be a big blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah and will expose their tall claims .
Shah had claimed there was terror attacks post August 5, 2019 had reduced drastically . But recent terror strikes at will at Indian army prove otherwise the wrong narrative . Lastly October 4 will have all the results who stands where . So watch this interesting space .
