Jammu And Kashmir Lok Sabha Polls: PDP Announces Candidate For Seats, Mehbooba Mufti To Contest From Anantnag

Srinagar: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Parliamentary Board on Sunday announced candidates for three parliamentary constituencies of Kashmir. This declaration ended all possibilities of alliance with the national conference and congress in Kashmir. Among three announced candidates, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti will herself come to the field to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls from the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency. 

After the announcement of three seats, the PDP president said that she supported to India Alliance for the party which has shown a willingness to support the people of J&K.

In conversation with reporters, Mehbooba further added that She tried to ally with Kashmir as well and had authorized Farooq Abdullah to announce seats, but the public announcement by NC forced us to come into the electoral fray.

Mehbooba appealed to all the people including Kashmiri, Gujjar, Bakerwals or Pahadi they should come and support us. "Delhi is trying hard to win the South Kashmir Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat through proxies and I am a fighter and have accepted the challenge to contest," She said.

Mufti said "Whether Congress support me or not I have full faith in people and my workers. I even appeal to NC and Congress to support me. Our manifesto is to undo everything that has been done in the last five years. I was forced to contest the elections, and this is not a question of votes getting bifurcated." 

She alleged that the BJP is meeting all others to keep Kashmiri real voices away from parliament, Even Azad sahib who is contesting as well is to help them. 

Mufti backing the congress manifesto said, "It is the best manifesto of congress in last seventy years and people who are seeing Pakistan in that are the ones who had lost their plot." 

Mehbooba Mufti will have tough challenge from National Conference’s strong Gujjar leader Mian Altaf and DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad in Anantnag-Rajouri constituency, while the BJP is yet to announce their candidates from this seat. 

Apart from Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, party youth president Waheed-ur-Rehman Para will contest from the Srinagar-Pulwama constituency, and former Rajya Sabha member Fayaz Mir, who recently returned to the party, not going to contest Baramulla constituency.

The BJP and other regional parties are yet to announce their candidates for the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat.

In the central Kashmir parliamentary constituency PDP youth leader who remained in jail for years after the abrogation of Article 370 will may have to face NC veteran Omar Abdullah.