INDIA bloc allies PDP, NC to contest against each other in Kashmir; Mehbooba, Omar trade blame

admin

INDIA bloc allies PDP, NC to contest against each other in Kashmir; Mehbooba, Omar trade blame



She was referring to Omar Abdullah’s March 8 press conference in which he announced that the NC would contest from all three seats in the valley and will not leave any for its INDIA bloc partner the PDP.Abdullah, on his part, said he had not “made any remarks about her party and, therefore, I have nothing to say on this”.The PDP was going back on the understanding reached for the DDC polls where the parties having won the seats would field their candidates, he said.”What can I say about this? It is their own will. How can I stop them? We announced candidates for the three seats of Kashmir based on their own formula,” the former chief minister of J-K said.When the DDC elections took place, the NC had asked the PDP that seat-sharing should be done on the basis of the results of the 2109 parliamentary elections but the latter did not accept that, Omar Abdullah said.”They told us that the candidates will be decided on the basis of the 2014 assembly polls. The decision was made that whoever had won the assembly seat will contest from that seat. So, in this parliamentary poll, the same formula was applied. Wherefrom we had won, we decided to field candidates,” he added.Abdullah said since there was no scope for seat sharing with the PDP in the parliamentary polls, “we would keep a scope for the assembly elections”.”But, now if Mehbooba Mufti has decided to contest on all seats, then perhaps she does not want an alliance for the assembly polls as well. In that case, I cannot say anything. We had kept the doors open, but if they are closing those doors, it is not our fault,” he added.On DPAP founder Ghulam Nabi Azad entering the fray for Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, Abdullah said he was surprised.”I am quite surprised that Azad has chosen to fight from Anantnag-Rajouri-Poonch. I would have thought that if he is keen to enter Parliament, he should have fought from his bastion, his strength in Chenab valley. I would have thought he would have fought the Udhampur seat.””The fact that he is not fighting from Udhampur and that he is fighting from Anantnag-Rajouri-Poonch, clearly there is (something) more than meets the eye,” he said.Omar Abdullah said he cannot say anything about the reason and under what pressure did Azad come to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Anantnag. He said the NC has fielded the best and strongest candidate in Mian Altaf Ahmad.”Whoever is contesting against him, we hope Altaf will win with a thumping majority,” he added.



Source link