As Jammu and Kashmir prepares for its first assembly elections since becoming a Union Territory, regional parties are experiencing significant political shifts. Nearly a dozen leaders have switched allegiances after being denied candidacy, with notable defections from DPAP and Apni Party. The PDP has faced multiple resignations, while the National Conference remains relatively stable. These three-phase polls, starting September 18.
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#KashmirElections #JammuKashmirnews #Kashmirnews #PDP #NC #DPAP #ApniParty #BJP #Oneindia #Oneindianews
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NewsTranscript
00:00The people of Kashmir want to know what is our agenda and which terms the party president is working.
00:28It's very good for every politician to stay in a party, to grow. I would consider it unfortunate.
00:35They don't know where they belong. A person who doesn't know himself, how can he or she lead someone?
00:41So let's stop calling them leaders. We have National Conference is open as a political party.
00:47Anybody who chooses to espouse our ideology, only people who have such conviction will eventually join.
00:54Before joining PDP, you were in your own party. What was the reason?
01:03A deadlock was created after the 5th of August, 2019.
01:08We were all together and all the politicians were arrested.
01:15We were in a state of fear. We thought we could create an atmosphere and talk to the centre.
01:22But we were not ready. We got ready under the leadership of Mr. Bukhari.
01:26Unfortunately, after COVID-19, nothing could be done.
01:30We felt that whatever was supposed to happen, was not happening.
01:36So we thought that this is the leadership that can lead the whole region.
01:40But we were not ready. We thought we could only do it in Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh.
01:44We thought it would be better to come under the leadership of Madam.
01:48The public was also saying that this is the best way.
01:52We felt that this is the best way.
01:56We felt that this is the best way.
02:00How is PDP different from other organisations?
02:04PDP speaks openly.
02:06PDP speaks openly.
02:09PDP speaks openly.
02:12PDP speaks openly.
02:15PDP speaks openly.
02:18PDP speaks openly.
02:21Are there leaders to join your party in the coming days?
02:24Yes, Inshallah. We think people are coming to know what is our agenda,
02:28and on which terms the party president is working,
02:31and what is the road map of Mufti Sahib.
02:33People are liking it, they are coming to our party and we are wholeheartedly welcoming it.
02:38The season of political migration has started.
02:41Leaders are switching sides and changing loyalties.
02:44There have been many leaders of your party have already left.
02:47How big a blow is it for your party?
02:50I would say that it is unfortunate that people who have been groomed in our party,
02:58and because of the reason best known to them,
03:00some of them have preferred to leave.
03:03While I can understand the compulsions,
03:06because you know this is election time,
03:09people have to contest.
03:11There might be many aspirants in the constituency,
03:14but at the end of the day the party chooses the most vulnerable candidate
03:19after looking at so many factors.
03:22But I am always of the opinion that one should stick to the party,
03:25because one comes to the party with some ideological similarities.
03:31And one, it is very good for every politician to stay in a party, to grow.
03:36I would consider it unfortunate that people are leaving.
03:40They should not leave, but I can at the same time understand the compulsions
03:44those people have from their workers, from their well-wishers.
03:48But it is all about elections.
03:50Will the exit of politicians, including some of your senior leaders,
03:53weaken the PDP?
03:58I don't remember any big name that has left our party.
04:04I mean, there has been an MLA in the recent year or so.
04:09In fact, I have seen people who have been MLAs
04:13and have been associated with our party,
04:15they have a desire to come back into the party.
04:18And we have seen a couple of them, maybe more,
04:20have already rejoined the People's Democratic Party.
04:25But yes, I see the exit of some very hard workers of PDP who have worked hard.
04:33But as far as big names like former MLAs or NLCs,
04:38I feel they are inclined towards joining PDP rather than leaving.
04:44Do you suspect the hand of your opponents
04:46with the exit of the leaders or workers or your cadres who are leaving the party?
04:52No, no, not at all.
04:54As I already told you, one of the reasons why somebody would leave a party
04:59is because maybe his aspirations are not fulfilled.
05:02Because as I told you, that a candidate is to be fired
05:06after looking at so many factors,
05:08so you can't field multiple candidates in a constituency.
05:11So there is compulsion from workers,
05:13from such a leader or political activist,
05:16which compels him to see other options.
05:19Election season is on and the politicians are shifting their loyalties.
05:24How do you see such a move at a time when the elections are just two weeks away?
05:28You see, if you look at the electoral trajectory of political parties
05:33and if you look at the electoral history of Jammu and Kashmir,
05:36ever since Shere Kashmir started with his movement against the Maharaja,
05:41ever since that day, what has happened is,
05:45you have the National Conference as a political party
05:47and the central government has consistently created these proxy political parties,
05:53wherein these political parties do not have any ideology.
05:58The only work that these political parties have to do,
06:02these proxy parties have to do,
06:04is to somehow defeat or weaken the National Conference.
06:07Over the course of years, we have seen that a lot of these political parties have accumulated.
06:11Because Bakshi's party was there, Sadiq's party was there,
06:15some more parties were there.
06:17We saw in the recent elections, more parties were collected.
06:20Eventually, once their work runs out,
06:23once their immediate work and once their immediate relevance runs out,
06:28these parties get accumulated.
06:30And the quote-unquote, I wouldn't call them leaders,
06:33I would say the people within these parties,
06:35since they have never had an ideology,
06:37they keep then looking at which party should we now go
06:41and it becomes like a revolving door kind of a thing.
06:44Wherein, when all these B-teams and proxy political parties have accumulated
06:49and people within these parties start revolving doors within those parties
06:53to see which person or which party is the best,
06:57wherein they can probably win a seat
06:59or where they can probably weaken National Conference the most.
07:03And fundamentally, the only one-liner,
07:06if you were to ask me this question, one-liners,
07:07because these people, these political parties have no ideology.
07:11There is only one task.
07:13The task is defeat the National Conference,
07:15weaken the National Conference
07:17and once the task runs out,
07:19then all these people are left to just change sides.
07:21Other parties, the exodus of leaders from other parties,
07:25somehow benefiting NC?
07:27There is no exodus.
07:29It's not that the exodus is happening and then they are just leaving politics.
07:33They are revolving within these B-teams.
07:35People from Apni party are going to BJP,
07:38BJP are going to some other party,
07:40these people are then going to some other party which was created in 90s.
07:44It's a revolving door thing happening pretty much within these parties.
07:48You don't see this happening in Jammu.
07:50For heaven's sake, tell me one thing.
07:52Ever since the abrogation of 370,
07:55Jammu, the region of Jammu and the region of Kashmir,
07:58both of us, we see very similar kind of problems.
08:02Our land is on sale, our culture is threatened,
08:05jobs are nowhere to be seen,
08:07the development that was promised is nowhere.
08:09We have very similar kind of problems,
08:12yet we do not see emergence of new political people,
08:16new political parties every second day in Jammu.
08:19In Jammu, you have the same 2-3 parties that you've had in 1970 or 1980,
08:24like the parties that you've had in 50-60 years back.
08:28Now come to Kashmir, shift your telescope to Kashmir.
08:31In Kashmir, in spite of the fact that it's much more dangerous
08:35to be a politician here because of militancy and other factors,
08:39you see there is a proliferation of these political parties.
08:43You have hundreds of independent candidates,
08:48you have hundreds of political parties.
08:50They have a full right to contest elections.
08:53I'm not questioning the right of these people.
08:56It's a democracy, anyone can come.
08:58But the answer is, who are they?
09:00Why are they coming?
09:02And most importantly, why is it that this does not happen in Jammu?
09:05I mean, I've never received an answer from,
09:08any credible answer from anybody saying,
09:10why is it that this happens in Kashmir and not in Jammu?
09:13Let's stop calling them leaders, sir.
09:15They're not leaders.
09:17A person who leads his people, leads them into battle,
09:21he or she leads them into victory,
09:23he or she leads them into good times,
09:26he or she leads them through bad times.
09:28A person who himself or herself doesn't know which,
09:32what ideology they espouse.
09:35A person who doesn't know where they belong.
09:37A person who doesn't know himself or herself.
09:39How can he or she lead someone?
09:41So let's stop calling them leaders.
09:43And coming to your question that, you know,
09:47Do you expect more leaders to join your party?
09:49Do we expect more leaders to, I mean,
09:51Maybe some prominent faces?
09:53We have, National Conference is open,
09:55as a political party,
09:57anybody who chooses to espouse our ideology,
09:59who chooses to espouse the ideology of land to the tiller,
10:02land to the people,
10:03health care,
10:05protection of Jammu and Kashmir,
10:07370 statehood,
10:09and strong regional front against the,
10:12against New Delhi,
10:14and they want to contribute in their little big way.
10:17I think National Conference will always be open.
10:19But as I said,
10:21very, it's an ideological party.
10:23Only people who have such conviction
10:26will eventually join.
10:28The season of political migration has started in Kashmir.
10:30Many political leaders are either switching sides
10:33or changing loyalties.
10:35But how much will their moves benefit the parties
10:38will only be known once the verdict is out.
10:41With camera person Irfan Shah,
10:43this is Izhar Ali in Srinagar for One India.