By News Agency of Kashmir
Jammu: National Conference President Omar Abdullah feels that next state legislative assembly elections would be held early than on scheduled month of Oct 2008.
Speaking with media persons in an informal chat at Press Club here this afternoon, Omar said, “My logic tells me that next general elections would be held early because of Amarnath Yatra and Ramzan”.
“The Amarnath Yatra is of two months duration in July and August followed by Ramzan in September and if government waits for October 2008 then I don’t think that it would manage elections in October next year,” he said.
The party president added that keeping in view these two factors the next elections would be held few months in advance.
To a question about party candidate for the Poonch bye-election, he said, “There are two to three serious candidates in the fray and we would finalise the name in a day or two.”
“However, people consider Poonch as NC bastion but last time we had won with a narrow margin. So it would be a neck-to-neck fight,” said Omar.
For the next general elections and his anticipations, he said, “In 2002 elections I had predicted NC’s win but it didn’t happen, so I have stopped making predictions,” adding “However, as already decided our chief ministerial candidate would be party patron Dr Farooq Abdullah.”
“We would give him the candidates and he will make them win,” he added.
Omar said, “For the next elections we will be having a specific agenda of unemployment. I have stopped predicting elections results but definitely anti-incumbency wave against coalition is there”
“But that doesn’t mean that anti-incumbency wave would transform into NC’s win. We would have to work for it,” he added.
“In the last five years since 2002 defeat I have learnt more about the state polity, its geography and have properly understood the political scene,” he said, adding “Today I think that I am a better prepared person than five what I was five years back.”
Responding to another question on Indo-Pak peace process and internal strife in the neighbouring country, he said, “Situation in Pakistan leaves us very concerned. The compelling circumstances forced them to take some harsh steps.”
“However, because of volatile situation in Pakistan and weakened approach of India various CBMs were not moving at the desired pace and going by the internal strife in Pakistan I don’t see that in near future peace process will pick up the pace,” he said.
“Despite encouraging statements from both the countries in the past there was no track I and track II progress on the ground,” he added.