Time is ripe for change, says Mattu

Jammu, October 19

Even before the first vote has been counted for the municipal elections that concluded on Tuesday, former National Conference (NC) spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu is being seen as a trailblazer in the current political set-up in the Valley.

He rebelled against the poll boycott decision of his party to contest the municipal elections. His decision to resign from the National Conference and contest the poll created ripples in the Kashmir politics as by many in the Valley it was considered an unpardonable blasphemy to boycott the poll boycott call.

Mattu while talking to The Tribune on phone said: “The time is ripe for change. We hope that the change is reflected in the counting centres tomorrow (Saturday).”

He said Srinagar city had seen low voting even during the 2014 parliamentary elections. “There was 6 per cent polling in the urban local bodies elections, but it was just 2 per cent in the parliamentary poll. This trend is a matter of concern and challenge for all of us. It needs to be overcome.”

Mattu, who has a degree in finance from Michigan University, US, was considered a close aide of NC vice-president Omar Abdullah before he resigned from the party. 

He is hopeful that the newly elected corporators would bring in change. He is also hoping that he would be the new mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation. — TNS