Azad to Contest Lok Sabha Elections from Udhampur
UDHAMPUR; Union health minister and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is reported to have reluctantly agreed to contest the Lok Sabha election from his home constituency of Udhampur. This would be for the first time that he will be seeking election to the Parliament from his home state of Jammu and Kashmir, where he had briefly served as the chief minister.
As per the agreed 50:50 split, the Congress and its coalition partner, the National Conference, are contesting three seats each. Union minister and NC patron Farooq Abdullah will re-seek election from Srinagar and his party colleagues Mehboob Beg and Shariefuddin Shariq from Anantnag and Baramulla, respectively. The Congress has decided to repeat sitting MP Madan Lal Sharma from Jammu. However, consensus on the Ladakh and Udhampur seats was evading the party.
Initially, Mr. Azad had refused to contest from Udhampur but reportedly has been convinced by the party high command that fielding sitting MP Chaudhary Lal Singh from Udhampur again will be “disastrous” in view of stiff opposition to his proposed nomination by majority of the party rank and file. The feedback from the party’s local unit had also warned that since there were too many aspirants there wishing to replace Mr Chaudhary and hardly any of them was strong enough to take on BJP’s growing influence in the constituency. The party feels that this would not only cause fissures within the Congress, but eventually the seat may be lost to the Opposition unless a “heavy” candidate is fielded from Udhampur.
Mr Azad has worked hard both as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union minister towards developing Udhampur constituency, particularly erstwhile Doda district.
As per the agreed 50:50 split, the Congress and its coalition partner, the National Conference, are contesting three seats each. Union minister and NC patron Farooq Abdullah will re-seek election from Srinagar and his party colleagues Mehboob Beg and Shariefuddin Shariq from Anantnag and Baramulla, respectively. The Congress has decided to repeat sitting MP Madan Lal Sharma from Jammu. However, consensus on the Ladakh and Udhampur seats was evading the party.
Initially, Mr. Azad had refused to contest from Udhampur but reportedly has been convinced by the party high command that fielding sitting MP Chaudhary Lal Singh from Udhampur again will be “disastrous” in view of stiff opposition to his proposed nomination by majority of the party rank and file. The feedback from the party’s local unit had also warned that since there were too many aspirants there wishing to replace Mr Chaudhary and hardly any of them was strong enough to take on BJP’s growing influence in the constituency. The party feels that this would not only cause fissures within the Congress, but eventually the seat may be lost to the Opposition unless a “heavy” candidate is fielded from Udhampur.
Mr Azad has worked hard both as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union minister towards developing Udhampur constituency, particularly erstwhile Doda district.
No comments: