The ruling coalition’s two veterans in Jammu & Kashmir Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and State Congress president Saifuddin Soz showed up together in South Kashmir’s Anantnag town on Wednesday to indicate the challenge and prestige of the contest in the sensitive constituency. The coalition’s candidate Dr Mehboob Beg is seeking re-election from the constituency, spread over four districts, and scheduled to go for polls on April 24 in the third of the five phase election in the embattled State.
The South Kashmir is considered as the bastion of opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which has fielded its president Mehbooba Mufti to consolidate the vote-bank. This parliamentary seat is prestigious for the PDP for its future alignments in New Delhi as well as in the run up to Assembly polls due in November 2014.
It was a rare sight to find senior Abdullah and Soz together ever since the latter was expelled from the NC in 1998 when he voted against the party whip to topple 14-day Vajpayee-led NDA . That time NC was part of NDA and Soz was uncomfortable with the alliance. Soz later joined the Congress and his proximity with Sonia Gandhi helped him leapfrog ranks to become the party chief in the State.
“Not only the three seats in Kashmir but we will also win Jammu and ladakh seats. We will go to the parliament as a strong force to work for the uplift of people”, said Dr Abdullah.