Owais Gul
Srinagar: The Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement regarding the holding of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir later this year has kept the mainstream political parties in the state on their toes.
Earlier on June 28, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that the Centre has started preparations and assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir may be held by the end of this year. Speaking at the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah said, “In the view of Ramzan and Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir, preparations are underway to hold assembly elections by the end of this year.”
Amit Shah had also proposed that the President’s Rule should be extended in Jammu and Kashmir for another six months; a move which was opposed by the mainstream parties here. The mainstream political parties in Jammu and Kashmir as per the reliable sources have geared up for the polls and have been organizing the conventions here.
Sources in the political parties said that soon after the statement was made by Amit Shah, they have started working from ground zero to ensure the win of their party in the upcoming polls. They added that the conventions are being held at different assembly segments with party’s top leaders addressing the workers and directing them to work tirelessly to ensure the victory of respective party in the polls.
Furthermore, sources from different parties informed Valley Spectrum that though the candidates have not been announced in all the assembly constituencies but the respective heads of constituencies have been tasked to hold public meetings and strengthen the parties at grass roots level.
Notably, this year, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement a new political party led by former bureaucrat-turned-politician Dr. Shah Faesal is also in the fray. The party recently announced its pre-poll alliance with the already existing Awami Itehaad Party (AIP) led by former MLA Langate, Engineer Abdul Rasheed Sheikh. The joint forum was named as ‘Peoples United Front’.
Political pundits however believe that some of the newly launched political parties in the Valley will manage to get two-three seats each keeping in view of the prominence of their candidates. They also believe that no party in the State will get the maximum seats to form its own government citing the mushroom growth of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir.