He may prove to be a saving grace for the Congress which was looking for a Hindu face for the post of Deputy Chief Minister, keeping in mind the polarisation that the Amarnath agitation had caused in Jammu and Kashmir. He was a saving grace for the Congress in the 1996 elections too, when he was the only leader from the party who won the elections in Jammu district.

For 45-year-old Tara Chand, set to be Deputy CM of Jammu and Kashmir — he took oath after Omar Abdullah on Monday — it has been a long political journey. Born in Chakmalal area of Chhamb on April 25, 1963, he entered politics after completing his matriculation. He held posts like general secretary of the SC/OBC Cell of Pradesh Congress Committee. Later, he rose to become general secretary of the Pradesh Youth Congress.

Tara Chand’s first major political break came in 1996, when he won the elections from Chhamb defeating the BJP candidate. Having saved the Congress in Jammu district, he was made the legislature party leader in 1996.

In the 2002 elections, he defeated his rival from the National Conference Chhaju Ram by a huge margin of 10,334 votes. Given his acceptability among other political parties, he was made Assembly Speaker. He completed a term of six years.

This time when the wave of Amarnath agitation claimed many Congress stalwarts, including former deputy chief minister Mangat Ram Sharma, Tara Chand’s victory came as succour to the Congress which suffered a crushing defeat in the Jammu region. When 18 sitting MLAs, mostly from the Congress and NC, lost the elections in Jammu region, Tara Chand was among the three leaders from the region who

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