After the All Party Meeting called and presided by the National Conference (NC) President, Dr. Farooq Abdullah they gave a strong message that the addition of ‘25 lakh' Voters, whom he attributed as the outsiders, is not acceptable to the people of Jammu Kashmir. They said it would deprive the local people of political power in their own state. The decision he said was unanimous and political observers felt that it would culminate into a unity among the opposition parties in J&K. However, for the people who are privy to the politics of the state, the beginning of the crumbling down of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) so soon is certainly a surprise providing an opportunity for great delight to BJP and its supporters.
The contour of politics in the Union Territory Jammu & Kashmir started changing with declaration of fresh delimitation of the assembly constituencies by the end of 2021. The Delimitation Commission set December 31 as the last day for submitting objections on its proposals. Political activities began after a long gap since August 2019. The National Conference declared participation in the delimitation exercise, which was severely criticized by one of the estranged constituents People's Conference alleging U-turn.
A new controversy has emerged recently after the order of the Jammu & Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer that intends to allow registration of all non-local people residing in the Union Territory as voters. In all, over 25 lakhs voters are expected to be added to the electoral roll of the state, which would also include a large number of non-locals. The political parties of the state have slammed the extension of voting rights to non-local which they fear would alter the political prospects of the people of the state. They allege that the BJP is trying to capture power in the state by importing voters from outside the state.
Now the National Conference, which joined hands with arch-rival Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to set up the alliance, has said it will contest the next assembly elections on its own. It denounced “unfair treatment” which it claims the party has been subjected to in the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD). It also demanded “immediate course correction” from PAGD constituents, alleging that some constituent of the Gupkar alliance has made statements and speeches against the NC which doesn't contribute to the overall unity of the alliance.
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has tweeted to convey to people that the only way to protect J&K's identity is to first register and cast your vote in huge numbers. He also said that provincial committee members unanimously resolved that JKNC should prepare and fight for all 90 seats.
The PDP has responded to the National Conference statement saying, “PAGD was conceived for a much larger cause than just an electoral alliance. If some constituent of the Alliance has reservations for any kind of electoral alliance, that will not impact our unity for the larger goal.”
