Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Nov 3: The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) is eyeing Habba Kadal Assembly seat of Srinagar city and is negotiating with the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to leave the seat for its candidate who has been unsuccessfully contesting from the constituency.
LJP President and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, told a press conference that the party is fighting with BJP in Jharkhand and in Jammu and Kashmir the party is fighting alone but has spoken to the BJP president Amit Shah over Habba Kadal seat.
“We are fighting together in Jharkhand, but as far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, our party had talks with BJP president Amit Shah over Habba Kadal,” said Paswan.
BJP yesterday announced to contest from Habba Kadal constituency and named Moti Lal Kaul as its candidate along with candidates for 44 more seats in the State.
LJP president said: “Our party cadre wants our national youth president Sanjay Saraf to fight from Habba Kadal. He has been struggling a lot for Kashmiris.”
Sanjay Saraf has been unsuccessfully contesting polls from Habba Kadal Assembly segment. It is presently being represented by Shameema Firdous of National Conference who defeated BJP candidate Hira Lal Chatta by a margin of over 1500 votes. Shameema polled 2374 votes and Chatta 672 votes.
Paswan said that party’s alliance with BJP is at the Centre and not at the State-level. “Even when we were with Congress (as part of the UPA), LJP had fought state elections on its own. Wherever possible, we fight together”, he said.
Paswan said that people of the State have lost faith in the ruling National Conference Government. “People of the State want a change in the governance as they have lost the faith in the National Conference”, he said.
On a question about the Centre supplying food grains to the state based on the 2001 Census, the Union Minister said the State Government should implement the Food Security Act and then the ration would be given according to the 2011 Census.
“The previous Government had enacted Food Security Act and we too are implementing that. We have told the states to implement the act and once it is implemented, then Automatically the 2011 census would come into play. We have extended the time for its implementation to six months. Till now only 11 states have implemented the act but Jammu and Kashmir is not among them,” Paswan said.
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