People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) chair Farooq Abdullah said on Tuesday that the alliance will fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
His statement came during a video message asking the people of Jammu and Kashmir to vote for the alliance’s candidates in the District Development Council (DDC) council elections.
The PAGD also released the sixth list of its candidates for the District Development Council (DDC) council elections that will take place in eight phases starting November 28.
Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah are in isolation after one of their staff members tested positive for Covid-19.
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In a fervent appeal posted on PAGD’s Twitter and later shared by leaders of other components of the alliance, Farooq Abdullah called on people to come out in large numbers and vote during DDC polls.
“The election bugle has been sounded and it is my fervent appeal for you to come out in great numbers and vote for the PAGD candidates. The alliance was formed to defend our identity and recover articles 370 and 35A that had been taken from us, ”said Abdullah.
He asked people to vote only for the alliance candidates. “Many people who are contesting these polls falsely claim that they represent the alliance while they are enemies of the alliance, so people should only vote for alliance candidates.”
Omar Abdullah also supported the message.
“Dr. Farooq Abdullah has recorded an appeal asking voters to support @JKPAGD candidates in upcoming DDC polls at J&K. He hopes to campaign once the period of self-isolation is over, ”Omar tweeted while posting his father’s video.
PDP Chairman Mehbooba Mufti also posted the video and once again accused the government of creating obstacles for the alliance’s candidates.
Farooq Abdullah also published the sixth list of candidates comprising 13 names belonging to different components of the PAGD. In the last list, the top candidates are from the National Conference.
Of the 13 DDC seats in Kashmir, the NC will compete in eight seats, the PDP in three seats and the Awami National Conference and the Peoples Conference will compete in one of each seat.
The PAGD candidates would be contesting the symbols of their respective parties to which they belong. So far, PAGD has published the names of 117 candidates for the DDC polls in Kashmir.
Union Interior Minister Amit Shah last week, in a scathing criticism of the PAGD, called his constituents the “Gupkar gang” that wants to take away the rights of Dalits, women and tribes that the Center has ensured. by eliminating Article 370, which gave a special status to the old state, and he challenged Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi to clarify whether their party supports the alliance.
His comments elicited a strong response from the coalition.
The PAGD leadership said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the Center was trying to delegitimize a coalition that is participating in a democratic process.
All six parties, including the regional powers National Conference (NC) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), have announced that they will fight the upcoming district development council (DDC) elections in J&K under the PAGD umbrella.
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