The Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), a party floated by former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad with a lot of fanfare, has failed to make a significant mark in the recently concluded Lok Sabha election in Jammu and Kashmir.
The DPAP’s candidates only managed to bag 80,264 votes from the three Lok Sabha constituencies it contested in Jammu and Kashmir, which has around 54 lakh voters. It was Mr. Azad’s first electoral foray in Jammu and Kashmir after quitting the Congress in 2022 and launching his own party later that year.
Paltry returns
Official figures suggest that Amir Ahmad Bhat, DPAP’s candidate from Srinagar seat, managed only 15,104 votes, a mere 2.24 vote share. A close aide of Mr. Azad, Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, bagged 39,599 votes from Udhampur constituency, which was a mere 3.56% vote share. Mohammad Saleem Parray, contesting from Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, garnered 25,561 votes, which is a mere 2.49% vote share.
Officials said all the DPAP candidates lost their deposits in Jammu and Kashmir. The poor performance comes in spite of the canvassing carried out by Mr. Azad in all the three seats it contested. He held dozens of poll rallies across the length and breadth of the Union Territory (UT).
Mr. Azad’s poll narrative revolved around the three issues of statehood, development and poor politics of the Abdullahs and Muftis. However, his first speech in Baramulla in 2023, where he described Article 370 as a done and dusted case, evoked a sharp reaction from regional parties.
Many people were seeing Mr. Azad as a political leader who would create an alternative politics to regional parties, especially to the Abdullahs and Muftis, in Jammu and Kashmir. Yet, in the recent election, it seems the DPAP has failed to make a mark with its narrative.
