NC Kicks off Campaign from Doru, Triangular Contest Makes it a Tough Seat

DORU, ANANTNAG: The National Conference today kick started its poll campaign in south Kashmir's Doru constituency with the slogan of "Change" for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The constituency will see a tough triangular contest between the National Conference, Congress and Peoples Democratic Party.

Both the NC and the Congress party have a substantial base in Doru that seems to be getting ready to defeat the two term sitting MLA and senior Congress leader G.A.Mir.

Earlier former chief minister and late Congress leader Syed Mir Qasim was elected to the Assembly from Doru for five consecutive terms from 1952 to 1977.

In 1977 the constituency rejected the Congress and supported National Conference candidate Abdul Gani Lone . Other NC candidates to win subsequently from here include former Minister Late Mohammad Akbar Ganai and in 1996 Ghulam Hassan Bhat who defeated Congress party candidate G A Mir.

After the death of NC leader Ghulam Hassan Bhat in a landmine blast, the Doru voters supported the Congress in 2002 and elected G A Mir for the first time to the state assembly. In 2008 Mir again won the seat. This time, however, it seems he will not make it with Congress leaders deserting ship to join either the NC or the PDP.

Mir will be facing the same anti incumbency factor that routed the Congress party in the Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile PDP candidate Farooq Ahmad Indrabi, a close relative of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, is emerging as a fairly strong contender. He has the support of several Congress workers in the constituency and is now banking on the young voters. He has contested twice from Doru but lost both the elections against Mir.

Indrabi, however, will face tough opposition from the NC Candidate, Farooq A Ganai, a journalist and a lawyer who will be contesting from this seat. Ganai’s popularity is increasing by the day and he is winning support of both the Congress and PDP workers in the constituency. He has considerable support amongst the young people and is confident of winning the seat.