Is Gupkar Alliance nearing to an end?

With National Conference (NC) declaring the names of constituency in-charges for 47 Assembly segments across Kashmir, the fate of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) seems to be near its end.

On Wednesday the NC named constituency incharges on all 47 segments in Kashmir who in most places appear to be the party candidates for the next Assembly elections whenever they are announced by the Election Commission.

While the names of Abdullahs (Farooq and his son Omar) are missing from the list but they can’t be constituency incharges but can make entry in the list of candidates once the elections are announced. Although junior Abdullah has been making assertions that he will not contest assembly polls till statehood is not restored to Jammu and Kashmir, he may take the final decision once the much awaited elections are announced.

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Earlier in August, the NC had declared that it will not ally with any constituent of the PAGD and resolved that they will contest on all 90 Assembly seats of the Union Territory.

However, the NC president Farooq Abdullah maintained that the PAGD will remain intact. “PAGD is always there. The constituency incharges won’t be MLAs tomorrow. Some People are saying whatever they like. We can't reply to everyone,” he told reporters in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Thursday.

Nobody will be MLA till things are jointly (PAGD) deliberated upon, he claimed.

The PAGD, an amalgam of five parties — NC, PDP, Awami National Conference, CPI (M) and CPI — was formed after the nullification of the special status of Jammu & Kashmir after August 5, 2019. It was constituted to fight for the restoration of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution as it existed on August 4, 2019.

However, notwithstanding senior Abdullah's assertions, political observers believe that the NC decision to contest upcoming Assembly polls solo means that the days of the PAGD are numbered.

“By nominating incharge for all the 47-Assembly constituencies of Kashmir, the NC has essentially backtracked from its commitment that it would contest any upcoming polls in agreement with the PAGD where the PDP is the other main constituent,” Majid Hyderi, a political analyst, told DH.

“So actually NC is betraying PDP far ahead of the much awaited polls. And this logically means that the PAGD is headed for a collapse,” he said.

Corroborating his statement, Hyderi said, “Otherwise also, the NC and PDP don’t seem to be on the same page. The Abdullahs didn’t even react to government orders seeking evacuation of Mehbooba Mufti from her official residence. So something is cooking up where the NC wants to take a lead even if prematurely.”

Though the PDP has been maintaining that the formation of the PAGD was never for fighting elections in alliance, the amalgam contested first ever district development council polls together and even distributed seats to constituent parties after a meeting of amalgam leaders in November-December 2020.