Putting to rest all speculations of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party's (DPAP) merging with the Congress, veteran leader chairman of the party Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday issued the first list of party candidates for the coming Assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. DPAP released the first list of 13 candidates from different seats across Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the list issued by the party general secretary RS Chib, former minister Abdul Majid Wani will contest the election from the Doda East Assembly segment.
Mohammad Amin Bhat, ex-MLA will contest the election from Devsar assembly constituency of south Kashmir, Mohammad Aslam Goni from Bhaderwah in Doda district, Saleem Parray from Doru, Muneer Ahmed Mir from Lolab, Bilal Ahmed Deva, Anantnag West, Ghulam Nabi Wani, Rajpura, Altaf Hussain Anantnag, Qasir Sultan Ganai Ganderbal, Ghulam Nabi Bhat Eidgah, Amir Ahmed Bhat Khanayar, Nisar Ahmed Lone Gurez and Peer Bilal Ahmed Hazaratbal.
Azad unlikely to contest election
Chairman of the DPAP Ghulam Nabi Azad is unlikely to contest Assembly elections because the party has announced the name of former Advocate General Mohammad Aslam Goni for the Bhaderwah assembly segment which is the hometown of the Azad.
Bhaderwah Assembly segment is a bastion of Ghulam Nabi Azad as he won elections from this constituency in 2006 and 2008.
It was the Bhaderwah Assembly segment in Jammu and Kashmir from where Ghulam Nabi Azad had won the first election from his home state.
After becoming Chief Minister in Jammu and Kashmir in 2005, Ghulam Nabi Azad won the by-election in 2006 from the Bhaderwah Assembly segment by a margin of 58,015 votes.
Azad had toppled all earlier records to garner the highest number of votes. That was Azad's first direct electoral victory from Jammu and Kashmir.
Earlier Azad's party denied reports of a merger with Cong
Last week the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) refuted reports of the party's merger with the Grand-old Party.
In a statement, Salman Nizami, chief spokesperson of the DPAP said that ever since Azad left the Congress Party, neither Azad has approached any Congress leader nor any Congress leader has ever approached him directly or telephonically.
"Congress leaders of Jammu & Kashmir have spread rumours for the last two weeks that Ghulam Nabi Azad and his party are joining Congress. It is also being spread that the Central Congress leadership approached Azad to join the Congress Party", chief spokesperson of Azad's party Salman Nizami said, adding, "As the chief spokesperson of DPAP, let me make it clear, on behalf of the party Chairman, that ever since Azad has left Congress Party, neither Azad has approached any congress leader nor any congress leader has ever approached Azad directly or telephonically".
