The Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday announced it will field candidates from all three Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir Valley, with party president Mehbooba Mufti contesting from south Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri seat.
PDP youth president Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra and former Rajya Sabha member Fayaz Ahmad Mir will contest from central Kashmir’s Srinagar and north Kashmir’s Baramulla seats, respectively.
Also read | NC fields candidate from Mufti’s bastion Anantnag, ends prospects of alliance with PDP
“There is a need for democratic resistance. People should fearlessly voice their grievances and stand united against oppression. I am steadfast on the commitment to representing the aspirations of my people, despite facing personal and political targeting,” Ms. Mufti said.
The PDP leaders’ entry into the Valley’s electoral battlefield reflects the failure of the national-level INDIA bloc and the J&K-level People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) to stitch together a pre-poll alliance due to differences over seat sharing.
However, Ms. Mufti said her party had decided to offer “unconditional support for the Congress on two seats in Jammu”.
“Our support to the Congress is unconditional, without a rider for their support to us, because we believe that unity is paramount in the fight for securing the democratic and constitutional ethos of our country,” Ms. Mufti said.
She praised the Congress manifesto and described it as “a comprehensive roadmap for addressing the socio-political challenges exacerbated by the BJP’s tenure”.
“The Congress is the strongest voice against the BJP’s regressive mission of darkness. Their manifesto is the best by any party in the last seven decades and calling it separatist, as by the Prime Minister, is endorsing unemployment, poverty, inequality and anti-minority policies. We endorse this manifesto and expect the people of the country to extend their support to it in the national interest,” Ms. Mufti said.
She reiterated that J&K was facing a relentless onslaught on identity, rights, and dignity, “especially in the past five years under the BJP”.
“Voters need to have a unified electoral response across all sections of society and geography in Jammu and Kashmir. Voters should send fearless representatives to the Parliament to echo the sentiments and pains of the region on a national platform,” Ms. Mufti said.
She even appealed to the cadre of other parties, including National Conference (NC) and the Congress, to support her endeavour in strengthening the region’s voice against “ongoing oppression”. “Meri awaaz hi mera manshoor hai (my voice for the people serves my manifesto),” she added.
The Anantnag-Rajouri seat is likely to see J&K’s main electoral battle, with National Conference’s Mian Altaf, Democratic Progressive Azad Party’s (DAPA) Ghulam Nabi Azad, and J&K Apni Party’s Zaffar Manhas already in the fray. The BJP is yet to field its candidates from the Valley’s three seats.
