Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 2: Although the president of the National Conference and former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah attended Sunday’s rally at Ram Leela Maidan as one of the constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, the Congress has started luring leaders of its ally in Ladakh ahead of November 21local body elections.
Two prominent leaders of the National Conference, namely Raza Abbasi and Fida Hussain, left their party ahead of the local body elections in Kargil and joined the Congress party.
Decision of the Congress to induct National Conference leaders into its fold is a clear indication that both the constituents of the INDIA bloc would contest the forthcoming local body elections separately in Ladakh.
Two days ago, two National Conference leaders, Raza Abbasi and Fida Hussain, joined the Congress.
Abbasi is the son of former Zanskar MLA Haji Abbas and previously served as director of the sheep husbandry department in Ladakh before retiring. Hussain is a respected social worker in the region.
Ladakh Congress working president Asgar Ali Karbalai welcomed the two leaders, with the party expressing confidence that their entry would strengthen its prospects, particularly in Zanskar and the upcoming municipal committee elections.
The political realignments come weeks before the November 21 panchayat and municipal elections. The NC has allied with Jamiat Ulama Isna Asharia Kargil (JUIAK), popularly known as the Islamic School of Kargil, to contest all 17 municipal seats through a mutually agreed candidate-selection process.
The Congress and National Conference had contested the last Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil elections jointly, but now both the parties appeared to be preparing to fight against each other in forthcoming local body elections. |
