Top brass of the National Conference has started making rounds of Jammu, ahead of Assembly polls, with an aim to garner popular votes in the region.
After losing 2014 polls and winning only three seats from Jammu region, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah paid little attention towards expanding the base of the party across Jammu region.
Occasionally, he visited frontier Rajouri and Poonch districts and addressed public meetings to stay connected with their traditional voters but largely speaking party made little efforts towards strengthening the party base in the region.
With the emergence of third front lead by Peoples Conference Chairman Sajjad Lone in Kashmir valley, National Conference, is gradually gearing up its poll machinery across Jawahar tunnel to improve its performance in the forth coming Assembly polls.
Last week, party President and Member Parliament from Srinagar, Dr Farooq Abdullah, tutored party workers and local leaders in Jammu to remain united and strengthen the hands of the party candidates than stabbing them in the back.
“I will bury you in the ground if you will not support the party candidate during crucial Assembly polls”, warned Dr Abdullah.
On Monday, it was the turn of former state Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, to motivate them to work towards clinching majority votes in the 87 member legislative assembly.
Addressing a day long convention of party functionaries here at Sher-e- Kashmir bhawan Omar Abdullah announced the decision of the party against forming any alliance in the state. He said, “We will go alone without forging any alliance”.
“A single party Government alone can meet the challenges confronted by the State, adding that his party will give a strong and stable government at the strength of the peoples’ massive support and NC’s presence in every nook and corner of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh”.
He also urged the workers not to go on rumours of rotation of reserved seats in the Jammu region, as the Governor had assured the party delegation recently about no such move under the consideration of the government.
Exuding confidence about massive victory, the NC Vice President said Jammu and Ladakh will have to hugely contribute to the strength of National Conference in giving a responsive and accountable Government.
In 2014 National Conference had won only 3 Assembly seats out of 37 in the region. Party had won 12 seats from Kashmir valley, recording its lowest ever score in the state elections so far.
On the occasion he also dared BJP to declare its chief ministerial candidate for Jammu and Kashmir ahead of elections to Legislative Assembly, saying it had lost face and credibility among people of Jammu by indulging in rhetoric and false claims.
“The BJPs bravado to have its own Chief Minister from Jammu fell flat twice, first by stitching alliance with 28-member PDP in 2015 and later while unsuccessfully attempting to form the government by surrendering before a party with two MLAs from North Kashmir”, Omar Abdullah said.
Launching a scathing attack on BJP, Omar said,”With which face the BJP will now go to the electors of Jammu in upcoming elections, who know that after seeking their mandate they will again fall in the trap and lap of a few MLAs from Kashmir to share the power”.
On the BJP’s communal plank, the National Conference Vice President said that an atmosphere of fear and mistrust is being created across the country. He said passions are being generated over the issue of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya before the general elections.
