Anita Katyal | Is hung House likely in J-K? Kamal Nath on comeback path
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s twin poll planks — abrogation of Article 370 and restoration of normalcy — are on test in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election. While the move has found no traction in the Kashmir Valley, the Hindu-dominated Jammu region, which had initially cheered this move, is having second thoughts about it. The BJP’s core voters are unhappy as it has failed to fulfil its promise on land rights and job quotas. Questions are also being asked about the Narendra Modi government’s claims of improving security in the state following the spurt of terrorist attacks in Jammu’s border areas. Despite these odds, the BJP is banking on winning a sufficient number of seats in Jammu only because the Congress has not been able to take advantage of the disgruntlement among the people. The Kashmir Valley remains out of bounds for the BJP, evident from the fact that it is contesting only 19 of the 47 seats in this region. It is against this backdrop that the emergence of a large number of independent candidates and the entry of separatist leader Rashid Engineer is being viewed with suspicion. The overwhelming view is that the current political mess suits the BJP as a fractured mandate would be reason enough to continue with the President's rule in the border state.
As expected, leaders and candidates of different political parties are going all out to attack their rivals during the ongoing poll campaign in Haryana. But what is not known is that the same leaders, who launch an offensive against each other during an electoral battle, are not averse to conducting backroom parleys during the selection of candidates. There is considerable chatter in Haryana political circles that former chief minister M.L. Khattar of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, known to be on friendly terms, have many “common candidates” with most of them dealing in real estate. For instance, the Congress candidate, Mohit Grover, for the Gurgaon Assembly seat is said to be equally close to Mr Khattar and Mr Hooda. Then there is hushed talk about the BJP reaching out to the Jannayak Janata Party, led by Dushyant Chautala, and the Indian National Lok Dal, headed by Abhay Chautala, for a possible post-poll tie-up. BJP insiders said the party had “helped” the two regional parties in constituencies where they have a fighting chance by naming candidates who are unlikely to do well.
Till he defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party’s high-profile minister Smriti Irani in Amethi and earned the title of “giant slayer”, the low-profile K.L. Sharma was better known as a Gandhi family loyalist who managed the Congress Party’s affairs in the twin constituencies of Amethi and Rae Bareli. After spending decades as a backroom manager, Lok Sabha MP Sharma has now acquired a higher profile. From organising and handling election programmes, Mr Sharma is now a campaigner, having been fielded by the Congress for the approaching Haryana Assembly polls. In fact, Congress insiders state leaders and candidates from Brahmin-dominated areas have been pressing party headquarters that Mr Sharma be sent to campaign in their constituencies.
There is endless speculation about veteran leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath’s future political role following his recent meeting with Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. It is said Kamal Nath could be rehabilitated with the charge of an important state like Maharashtra. However, a more plausible explanation is that the Congress wants Kamal Nath to use his extensive network of friends in the corporate world to raise funds for the party as it prepares for several important Assembly polls in the coming months. As it is, Rahul Gandhi has alienated a large number of industrialists by constantly targeting two major industrial houses, making it difficult for both sides to give and accept funds. With Ahmed Patel gone, Kamal Nath is the only old-timer in the Congress who can help build the party’s cash reserves.
Given that Himachal Pradesh has a negligible presence of Muslims, it was surprising that the issue of an illegal construction at a mosque in Shimla snowballed into a major controversy. What was even more surprising was that the matter was first flagged by Congress leader and rural development minister Anirudh Singh. While demanding a probe into the illegal construction, he also referred to growing tensions and the deteriorating law and order situation in the area. The matter took a turn for the worse when protesting right-wing Hindu groups clashed with the police, forcing the use of water cannons. Predictably, this embarrassed chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while other Congress members were hard put to respond to their own colleague’s charge. State Congress leaders maintain the matter was deliberately raised by the chief minister’s adversaries within the party to put him in a spot. It is an open secret that party rebels, who were unsuccessful in destabilising the Sukhu government when they joined hands with the BJP during the April Rajya Sabha elections, have not given up their efforts.