Notwithstanding efforts of the Congress and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership to field a common candidate against BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections, the National Conference on Tuesday reiterated that the party would contest all three Parliamentary seats of Kashmir Valley.
The party made it clear that discussions of seat-sharing would be held only on three seats that were won by the BJP in the 2019 Parliamentary elections.
President of the Kashmir province of the National Conference Nasir Aslam Wani said that there was no question of leaving three seats of Kashmir Valley to any coalition partners.
Wani, while interacting with media persons after the National Conference's Parliamentary Board, said that the party is going to contest elections on all three seats of Kashmir Valley.
"We will contest elections on three seats which party has won in 2019", Wani said and added that the names of the candidates on three seats would be announced very soon.
Wani further said that discussions with Congress would be held on the remaining three seats of Jammu province and Ladakh. Earlier, the National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah along with Vice President Omar Abdullah chaired the meeting of the party's Parliamentary Board and deliberated upon the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Omar Abdullah already ruled out leaving any Valley seat for coalition partners
Earlier on February 15 Omar Abdullah also declared that his party would not leave three seats of the Kashmir Valley for coalition partners.
"If the INDIA alliance intends to stop the BJP from retaining three Lok Sabha seats of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir then there is no need to hold discussions of three seats of Kashmir Valley", Omar stated, adding, "Three seats of Kashmir Valley are already with the INDIA bloc so our discussions should be only on Jammu-Poonch, Udhampur-Doda, and Ladakh Lok Sabha seats".
PDP starts campaign for Lok Sabha elections
Realizing that the arrogant National Conference is not going to leave any seat of Kashmir Valley, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) started the campaign on the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha segment.
Kickstarting a public outreach programme in Pirpanjal a head of Parliamentary elections, senior PDP leader Mohammad Sartaj Madni today held various meetings Dantkote Darhal, Saaj, and Palnger area of Darhal- Thanamandi Assembly segment.
Madni is on a five-day tour to twin border districts along with the party's election incharge Mohammad Rashid Qureshi and other senior leaders.
Realizing the popularity of party founder late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in this region, Madni listed various developmental activities initiated in Poonch and Rajouri during the PDP-led regime in the erstwhile state of J&K.
Party leaders urge Mehbooba to contest Lok Sabha election on Anantnag-Rajouri seat
As reported earlier, PDP leaders from Poonch and Rajouri have asked party president Mehbooba Mufti to contest the election in the prestigious Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary constituency.
Last week, leaders of the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri called on Mehbooba Mufti at Jammu to discuss the prevailing political situation in the region. All leaders in one voice urged the PDP president to contest elections on the newly carved Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat to ensure the defeat of the BJP in the coming elections.
