Srinagar: In a blow to INDIA bloc in Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party has decided to contest all three Lok Sabha constituencies in the valley alone as it announced its candidates for the seats on Sunday.
President Mehbooba Mufti will fight the polls from the Anantnag constituency. The decision came after the PDP failed to reach an agreement with its INDIA bloc ally National Conference (NC).
PDP Parliamentary Board Chief Sartaj Madni said the party's youth wing president Waheed Parra will contest the polls from Srinagar and former Rajya Sabha member Mir Fayaz from Baramulla. The candidates were announced by the party at a press conference addressed by Mufti and Madni. They said the PDP will support the Congress on two Jammu region seats of Udhampur and Jammu.
Mehbooba Mufi will be pitched against Mian Altaf Ahmad of the NC and Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP). The BJP is yet to announce its candidates for the 3 Lok Sabha seats in the Valley.
Addressing the media persons on the occasion, Mufti emphasized the "relentless onslaught" faced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that their identity, rights, and dignity have come under "severe attack, particularly in the past five years under the BJP".
Mehbooba underscored the need for a "democratic resistance", urging the populace to fearlessly voice their grievances and stand united against oppression. She expressed her "steadfast commitment" to representing the aspirations of her people, despite facing personal and political targeting.
Advocating for a unified electoral response across all sections of society and geography in Jammu and Kashmir, she called for sending fearless representatives to Parliament to echo the sentiments and pains of the region on a national platform.
With this announcement, the PDP has formally called it quits to the PAGD, an amalgam of National Conference, PDP and Awami National Conference that was formed for safeguarding Article 370. The PDP's announcement also means that it will challenge INDIA bloc partner National Conference on the three seats of Kashmir.
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