Srinagar (J&K): On August 4, 2019, the mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir formed the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration to protect Article 370. But days later, the Central government jailed most of the leaders of these parties before revoking Article 370. The constituent parties could neither protect the Special Status of Jammu and Kashmir nor save themselves from going to jail.
PAGD included National Conference, PDP, People's Conference, Congress-CPI (M), and other smaller political parties. Once the leaders were released from house arrest amid an improvement in the situation post-abrogation of Article 370, PAGD started political activities and contested the District Development Council elections as a unit.
Also read: Any decision to give voting rights to non-locals will not be tolerated: Farooq Abdullah after an all-party meet
However, the downfall of the amalgam started when the Congress and People's Conference parted ways with the Alliance. Although PAGD made several statements and held press conferences to restore the Special Status of Jammu and Kashmir, the Gupkar Alliance did not take any effective steps on the ground.
In the last three years, the Alliance seems to be disintegrating, more so after the National Conference in August, this year said it would independently fight in all 90 seats of J&K Assembly elections triggering speculations over the disintegration of constituents of the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration. In a face-saving bid, National Conference president and chairman PAGD Farooq Abdullah had said that the "doors of the PAGD are not closed".
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said that the Gupkar Alliance was not formed “just to contest the elections, but its ideology is to restore the Special Status”. However, rivals of the PAGD, especially the BJP, said that the Gupkar alliance has been formed by PDP and NC “to keep their family politics alive, while the people have rejected them after 2019”.
