Jammu, Feb 14: Senior Congress leader and Bandipora lagislator Nizamuddin Bhat has said the party is facing an existential crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, claiming it has been “overpowered” by its alliance partner National Conference (NC) and electorally weakened by the BJP’s polarising politics.
Speaking with Kashmir Convener, Bhat said the Congress’ vote base in the Union Territory has steadily shrunk over the decades.
“The vote bank that you pulled out of your hands… if you were at 28, 20 or 16, today you have stopped at 2 or 4,” he said, referring to the party’s declining electoral performance.
He attributed the slide to multiple factors, including what he described as Hindu-Muslim politics, shortcomings in the party’s leadership and the growing dominance of the NC.
“Whether it is the politics of Hindu-Muslim, whether it is the shortcomings in the leadership of Congress, or the National Conference has completely overpowered you,” Bhat said.
The remarks come amid unease within sections of the Congress over its position in the ruling alliance with the NC.
Bhat acknowledged the party’s diminished standing, saying the Congress “cannot run without the National Conference” in the present political scenario.
At the same time, he defended the alliance as necessary to counter the BJP.
“The alliance is mainly against the BJP,” he said, adding that supporting the NC was a political imperative despite differences. “Wherever the BJP does injustice, we have to support the National Conference despite their mistakes. It is an imperative.”
He described the alliance as a coming together of secular forces on “common grounds” such as being anti-division, anti-corruption and opposed to what he termed excesses by the BJP.
Bhat also referred to the Congress’ historical legacy in the region, including allegations of rigging in the 1987 Assembly elections, often cited as a turning point in Jammu and Kashmir’s political history.
He termed the Centre’s handling of J&K over the years a “tragedy of errors” and acknowledged the perception surrounding the 1987 polls.
“There is a general perception and evidence that there was no electoral process fear,” he said, adding that while he was not with the Congress at that time, “mistakes are made everywhere” and such perceptions become part of the political narrative.
On the party’s decline in the Jammu region, once considered a stronghold, Bhat said increasing polarisation had influenced voters.
“In this polarized atmosphere, in which politics of hate runs, the voter is influenced by that,” he said, expressing hope that economic issues and governance concerns would eventually shape public opinion.
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