Srinagar, November 13, 2020 (PPI-OT): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Friday joined the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), an amalgam of several parties in the territory seeking restoration of the special status of Kashmir.
Two Congress leaders participated in a meeting of the alliance at PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s ‘Fairview’ residence at Gupkar in Srinagar. Mufti is also the vice chairman of the alliance, led by National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah. “We stand by the alliance,” Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Monga told reporters outside Mufti’s residence.
After the meeting at Mufti’s residence, the PAGD leaders will meet again at NC headquarters ‘Nawa-i-Subah’ in Srinagar, today. NC provincial president for Kashmir, Nasir Aslam Wani, said the Congress has assured it will be part of the alliance and part of the seat-sharing arrangement for the DDC elections. He said the alliance “will try to complete the seat-sharing list today only”.
The meeting was called to discuss the DDC elections and to finalise the list of candidates to contest in the rest of the eight-phased polls. “We discussed the DDC elections and are finalising the candidates. The meeting will reconvene at ‘Nawa-i-Subah’. This is not only about (seat) sharing or numbers, but a question of giving a message,” NC leader and Member of Indian Parliament from Islamabad constituency, Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi said.
The PAGD on Thursday announced the seat-sharing list for the first phase of the polls. The NC is contesting on the majority of the 27 seats in the Kashmir Valley, with the party putting up its candidates on 21 seats. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Mufti, is contesting on four seats, while the Sajad Lone-led Peoples Conference (PC) bagged two seats for the first phase.
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