The Hindu : `Jammu card' pays off for Congress

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 11, 2002

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National

`Jammu card' pays off for Congress

By Our Staff Reporter

Jammu Oct. 10. The Congress emerged as the single largest party in the Jammu region, playing its Jammu card well and repeating its 1983 Assembly elections performance.

In the region, the party won 15 seats out of the 37. In Jammu district, it bagged 8 of the 13 seats. In the 1996 elections, the party won only one seat in Jammu district.

The BJP faced a rout in Jammu city losing to the Congress its bastion — Jammu East, Jammu West and Gandhi Nagar.

The Jammu State Morcha sprang a surprise by winning the Bishnah seat. Even the Panthers Party won the Samba segment.

The BJP managed to get only the Nagrota seat where it won eight seats in 1996. The ruling National Conference (NC) was able to get only seven seats in Jammu region compared to the 15 it won in 1996 elections.

All the Ministers in Jammu district, except the Minister of State for Road, Ajay Sadhotra, failed to retain their seats. Most prominent among the losers are the Cabinet Ministers Ajat Shatru, son of Karan Singh, the Sports Minister, Harbans Singh, and the Power Minister, Surjit Singh Salathia. Another Minister of State, Govind Ram, also lost, indicating that the people of Jammu district have rejected the NC.

In Kathua district, the Congress has gained by one seat, winning three of the five seats. Here the Deputy Speaker, Ghulam Hyder, failed to retain his seat.

In Udhampur district, the NC lost its Gool Arnas seat where the Independent, Aiyjaz Khan, won. Here, the Bhim Singh-led Panthers Party made major gains winning three of six seats, Udhampur, Chennani and Ramnagar.

The NC lost its traditional bastion of Doda segment where an Independent beat the Minister of State for Home, Khalid Surawardhy. In Bhaderwah, Mohd. Shairef Naiz, cousin of PCC president, Ghulam Nabi Azad, won.

The NC sprang a surprise by winning the Ramban segment and also retained Kishtwar. In Rajouri district, the Congress retained the Nowshera segment and the NC won Kalakote and Rajouri.

In Poonch district, the NC won all seats — Poonch Haveli, Mendhar and Surankote.

`A vote against NC'

Mr. Azad told The Hindu here that the people of the State had clearly voted against the NC Government and its ``autocratic policies''. Asked about Government-formation, he said, "we will sit together and see what can be worked out. But I assure any decision we will take will be in the interests of the people of the State".

The people of Jammu had voted against the NC which discriminated against the people of Jammu and Ladakh. He described the defeat of the NC president, Omar Abdullah, as a result of the people's vote against ``dynastic rule''.

`EC, the hero'

Mr. Azad told presspersons later that "the Election Commission has become the hero after the elections. The people of the State have been able to elect their representatives and the Election Commission has proved its integrity without any doubt." The People's Democratic Party president, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, also praised the Election Commission for its ``marvellous performance'' and for proving its integrity.

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