Mian Altaf’s Poonch visit: Is NC studying the pulse of the people in the Rajouri-Anantnag parliamentary seat?

Mian Altaf’s Poonch visit: Is NC studying the pulse of the people in the Rajouri-Anantnag parliamentary seat?

POONCH TODAY NEWS

POONCH: Two recent visits of former NC Minister Mian Altaf to Poonch district and the coming visit of Omar Abdullah to Nowshera show that something is cooking in the minds of the top leadership of the National Conference. During Omar Abdullah’s visit in the last week of October this year and at a seminar organized at Dak Bungalow Poonch the other day on the life of Padma Bhushan awardee Late Mian Basher Ahmed Larvi, former Minister Mian Altaf was present on both occasions, and this has pointed towards an indication that NC has started studying the pulse of the people in this Rajouri-Anantnag parliament seat.

Even the coming rally of Omar Abdullah at Nowshera is a clear indication that the NC has decided to contest this parliamentary seat alone.  However, in both the political programs at Surankote and at Poonch earlier, a large chunk of people from one political thought were present, and there was a thin attendance of people from other thoughts. People from different sections of society said that Mian Altaf is a mass leader and is known and respected by all the sections of society all over the J&K UT, but what were the reasons that in his program at Poonch, a large number of people from one political thought were present, not all in large numbers? The contents of the speech of the former minister indicated that he tried to please his people politically during the tour, which was surreptitiously given the shape of a seminar. Although Mian Altaf enjoys a huge reputation among all sections of society, during his two visits, the presence of a large number of people from one supporting reflection was an indication that the purpose of his visits was a political one.  People said that the grand old party of J&K politics is trying to please voters with a finicky philosophy in advance because there is an apprehension that the BJP may fulfill the demands of the Pahari ethnic tribe. Political pundits were seen as divided in their opinions. One section said that Mian Altaf is a mass leader and he should bring people from every section of society together rather than focusing on vote-bank politics with finicky philosophy, as seen from his recent two visits. While other section political pundits were of the opinion that to counter the Pahari strategy move of the BJP, the National Conference has played this card to please the voters of one reflection, but in a silent mode, because NC doesn’t want to lose Pahari voters as well as the coming rally of Omar Abdullah at Nowshera indicates this. Out of five parliament seats in J&K, the BJP can win two seats in Jammu and Udhampur, while Baramulla and Srinagar are easy for the NC and others. Now the fight is for the third seat, and all-out efforts are underway from NC Leadership in advance by making all possible moves, and the recent visits of Mian Altaf are seen as part of that strategy. Although it’s difficult for the BJP to perform well on this Rajouri-Poonch seat, political pundits feel that only fulfilling the demands of Paharis may turn the tables in favor of the BJP. When a seasoned BJP leader was approached about this political development in Poonch, he, on the condition of anonymity, said, No doubt, they (NC and PDP) are powerful in this seat, but the BJP is also in the race, and who knows, we will also win this seat with a surprising strategy. Let’s wait for some more time.” It seems that the BJP has not yet opened its cards, and it would be interesting to see how the BJP would counter the moves of the NC leadership because something is surely cooking in the mind of the National Conference as far as winning the Rajouri-Anantnag seat is concerned without going to any alliance, and the recent visits of Mian Altaf and the coming Omar’s rally at Nowshera are being seen by all in that context by the political pundits.