Azad’s failure to counter BJP in J&K puts his Democratic Azad Party in tight spot

The disintegration of the DAP can be attributed to several factors

With 17 key Congress members quitting Ghulam Nabi Azad led Democratic Azad Party (DAP) to rejoin the Congress just four months after it was formed, the future of the fledgling party now seems to be in jeopardy.

The leaders, including a former deputy chief minister and two ex-legislators, who were considered as long-time loyalists of Azad, termed their earlier decision to leave Congress as a blunder based on the “friendship of a person” and apologized on their return.

The disintegration of the DAP, yet to be registered with the Election Commission (EC) as a political party, can be attributed to several factors. Most of the leaders and the workers, who joined Azad in August when he quit Congress after almost five decades, belonged to the grand old party.

Also Read: Loyalists return to Congress, but doors still shut for Azad

However, the initial euphoria around the DAP vanished within a few weeks as Azad failed to galvanize support among the public for his newly formed party.

Political observers believe that Azad, who remained the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir in the past (2005-2008), failed to motivate masses that he could emerge as an alternative to the BJP and bring any change in the frozen politics of the Union Territory (UT).

“His opponents, especially Congress, succeeded in projecting him (Azad) as a proxy of the BJP which dented his secular image. He (Azad) is seen like another proxy of the BJP like J&K Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari and J&K People’s Conference led by Sajjad Lone especially in Muslim majority Kashmir valley,” Rameez Makhdoomi, a political analyst and a TV debater told DH.

“People not only in Kashmir, but Muslim areas of Jammu as well realized that the DAP would only divide the secular vote and end up strengthening the BJP’s hand,” he said and added Azad’s statement in September 2022 that Article 370 can’t be restored gave enough ammunition to his opponents to label him as ‘B-team’ of the BJP.

The response to the Rahul Gandhi led ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ also appears to have motivated Congress leaders who quit in August to return. There is a feeling in the political circles of the UT that the Yatra - set to enter Jammu and Kashmir later this month - may improve the Congress’s mass base, given the resentment against the BJP over issues such as rising militancy, unemployment, and an unresponsive bureaucracy.

Also Read: No plan to return to Congress: Ghulam Nabi Azad

However, for now Azad is seemingly giving the impression of being unperturbed by the series of exits that have hit the party.

“It is not a setback because those who left have no constituency. I wish them well and I will not say anything against them as they have been my old colleagues,” Azad said in Srinagar.