Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Facing the worst electoral setback in the last two decades in the just concluded Jammu and Kashmir assembly election, People's Democratic Party (PDP) president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti conceded the defeat saying the mandate clearly showed the people wanted a stable National Conference-Congress government.
The PDP won three seats out of the 90 assembly constituencies, down from the previous 28 seats in 2014 when it formed the government with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
While Mufti was not contesting this time, her party had fielded candidates across Jammu and Kashmir.
The former chief minister appeared confidently before the media at the party headquarters in Srinagar and said the mandate has left no space for tampering.
“The message through the mandate is that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are wise and they did not want a hung verdict. I thank my leaders and workers who voted for us. The way people voted for a stable government has left no chances for manipulation or defeating the mandate. My best wishes for the government are that they should meet the expectations of the people,” she said.
She claimed that she was expecting the NC-Congress to take the lead in the polls and had conveyed this to the congress leader during conversation with them.
To a question, Mehbooba said that NC bagged 60 seats in 1996 but only 15 in 2014. “We should respect the choice of people. People wanted a stable NC-Congress government to keep BJP away. They did not vote for a hung government,” she added.
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