Srinagar: Expressing gratitude to people for reposing faith in the National Conference and Congress alliance during the assembly elections, the winning candidates of the alliance claimed on Tuesday that the voters’ primary motivation for supporting the INDIA bloc was to prevent BJP from coming to power.
While NC-Congress alliance candidate and JKPCC president, Tariq Hamid Karra, who won the central Shalteng seat, said that an inclusive government in Jammu and Kashmir was the need of the hour to help people overcome their political predicaments, NC winning candidate from Hazratbal constituency, Salman Ali Sagar said the peoples mandate will be honored.
“I want to dedicate my victory to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, whose dreams and aspirations were dashed by the BJP’s jackboot policy. BJP initiated hate politics in the region and used all its resources to muzzle the voice of dissent. But the people of J&K gave the coalition a mandate that eliminated the saffron party,” Karra told the media after being declared winner from the Central Shalteng seat.
Regarding the government formation, the PCC chief said the alliance’s success in the elections was just the beginning and that many difficulties were ahead for the incoming government.
“This would be the beginning of a new struggle, the struggle for our identity (statehood), the struggle for our rights to our land and jobs, the struggle against unemployment, and the struggle against the drug menace which has negatively impacted our younger generation,” Karra added.
Besides advancing the policies for women and youth included in the Congress manifesto, it is imperative to fortify job opportunities in J&K.
Salman Sagar argued that the people of J&K collectively voted against the August 5, 2019 decision of Centre that stripped the erstwhile state of its epical constitutional standing and downgraded it to a Union territory.
“We are committed to fulfill the promises we have made with the people; we will not let our people down like some parties did back in 2014. They utilized the mandate that they had sought to fend off the BJP to form a coalition with the same party,” he added in a veiled reference to the PDP.
Legislative priorities, according to Sagar, will be to solve the everyday issues that people face, such as power outages, smart meters, improved roads, better water supplies, and other necessities for daily living.
Tanvir Sadiq, who won Zadibal seat with a huge margin by defeating Peoples Conference candidate Abid Hussain Ansari and former Mayor of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Junaid Azim Matoo, claimed the people of J&K finally exhaled with relief after 10 stormy years.
“I express my gratitude to the people of J&K, especially Zadibal, for bestowing upon my party a sizable mandate. I promise to my people that their demands, including those related to roads, energy, water, and drainage will be first met. By voting against the BJP, the people of J&K have made it possible for the NC-Congress alliance to wrest power …,” Sadiq told reporters outside SKICC.
“Since the BJP had betrayed the Kashmiri Pandits, the migrant votes in Jammu had also gone to the National Conference,” Shamim Firdous, the NC’s winner from Habakadal seat claimed.
“The people of J&K were discouraged by the Center’s August 5, 2019 decision, and today they responded appropriately to the BJP for its unlawful action. Following the abolition of Article 370, the people of Jammu and Kashmir encountered unprecedented challenges,” Shamim told the media.
Expressing his gratitude to the electorate for his success, Ahsan Pardesi, the NC candidate who won the Lal Chowk seat, said that he would always welcome people of his constituency and that they do not require any permission to visit his home or office.
“It is hard to put into words the issues that the people of J&K have endured over the years. Their mandate will be honored, and our party will never forget the trust and confidence they placed in us,” added Pardesi.
