The ruling People’s Democratic Party and its ally, BJP, on Tuesday decided to contest separately the byelections to two Lok Sabha seats from the Kashmir Valley. The National Conference and the Congress are likely to strike an alliance.
PDP chief spokesman Mehboob Beg told The Hindu that Tassaduq Mufti, 46, son of the late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, would contest from Anantnag in south Kashmir.
Mr. Tassaduq, a cinematographer, joined the party on January 7, the first death anniversary of his father. There was speculation that the party wanted him to be an MLC in the State, where he has been working on projects related to environment and tourism through NGOs. “It’s a bigger platform for Mr. Tassaduq to pursue his ideas and implement his projects ... The PDP needs a young face with fresh ideas to talk to friends and foes in New Delhi and pitch for the implementation of the Agenda of Alliance,” Mr. Beg said. The Agenda of Alliance is a common programme worked out by the PDP and the BJP for their government in the State.
Srinagar contest
For the crucial Srinagar seat, the PDP has fielded Nazir Ahmad Khan, a former Congress leader who took on National Conference working president Omar Abdullah in the 2014 Assembly polls, bagging 22,807 votes against his opponent’s 23,717.
Srinagar and Anantnag are going to the polls on April 9 and 12, respectively.
The BJP will announce its candidates soon. “There will be no pre-poll alliance with the PDP,” BJP State general secretary Ashok Kaul said. “The BJP’s policies have been widely accepted by the public,” he said.
NC core group meets
On Tuesday, the NC’s core group met in Srinagar, and the party president Farooq Abdullah and Mr. Omar Abdullah discussed the candidates.
A top NC leader told The Hindu that there was consensus on Dr. Abdullah’s candidature. He is likely to contest from Srinagar, and a formal announcement will be made on Wednesday.
“There is nothing final yet [on the alliance with the Congress]. We discussed the pros and cons. We have authorised Dr. Abdullah to take the decision... We are worried that militancy is not waning. The Election Commission is supposed to create an atmosphere conducive to the polls,” Mr. Omar Abdullah said.
