Kashmir Forces Rally Round Abdullah'S Adversaries

In Abdullah's own constituency, Ganderbal, for instance, those who want Abdullah defeated seem to be polarising behind the Congress candidate. In adjacent Kangan, it is the Janata Dal's man. In Chrar and Chadoora too, the fight seems to be between the NC and the JD.

Many in the valley realise that this tactical polarisation is the only way to defeat the National Confer-ence and the alliance of political forces backing it.

This includes the CPI(M), to which the NC has left the Kulgam constituency, Gujjar-Backarwal leader Mian Bashir, who crossed over from the Congress just before the elections, and senior Congress leader Iftekhar Hussain Ansari, who commands a formidable following in his Shia community.

The NC's popularity had revived considerably since Abdullah raised the demand for enhanced autonomy about a year ago.

The additional allies have made it the pivotal force in these elections, changing the ground realities drastically since the May Lok Sabha polls, when the NC boycotted the poll process. The Congress and the Janata Dal had become the major contenders for the three valley seats.

Pitted against the NC-led political alignment are an otherwise unlikely range of forces, from secessionists such as the Jamaat-e-Islami cadre to those in the administration who have developed a vested interest in the continuance of President's rule.

The only thing that unites them is a desire to see that, if Abdullah takes power after these elections, his government should not be too strong. They hope that, even if he is the chief minister, he will be forced to form a coalition.

Some security forces officers even say their superiors have told them they would be averse to Abdullah winning a large enough majority in the new assembly tocs/bottom.inc"-->