INDIA alliance break in J&K complete, PDP enters the contest in all three Valley seats

After failing to reach an agreement with its INDIA bloc ally National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday fielded candidates from all three seats in the Kashmir Valley on Sunday. The decision of the PDP, which had been pushing for at least one seat from Kashmir, came almost a week after the NC fielded candidates from the constituencies. It also raises the question about who the Congress will back in the Valley.

While former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti will be in the fray from Anantnag-Rajouri, the party’s youth leader Waheed ur Rehman Parra will be in the fray from Srinagar. The PDP has nominated former Rajya Sabha MP Fayaz Ahmad Mir, who recently returned to the party fold, as its candidate from Baramulla.

“I would have announced a young candidate (from Anantnag) but Delhi has focused all its efforts on south Kashmir. I am a fighter and accept the challenge. I appeal to all Kashmiri, our Gujjar and Pahari brothers as well as Sikh and Hindu brothers to send that voice which would represent them without fear to Parliament,” Mufti said while announcing her candidature.

She also made it clear that the PDP would support the Congress, its INDIA bloc ally, in Jammu and reiterated that she was looking to ally with the NC but was forced to go solo after its leaders publicly questioned the “PDP’s existence”. She said, “We had left the decision to Farooq Abdullah. We would not mind even if they had contested all the seats but they should have at least consulted us. They should not have demeaned our party and workers by saying they will see our behaviour in the Lok Sabha polls before deciding on the alliance for the Assembly elections.”

Mufti also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for referring to the