Veteran politician Ghulam Nabi Azad, who left Congress two years ago, is ready to contest elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
After several public meetings of his Democratic Progressive Azad Party, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister is now likely to contest from Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha constituency.
Anantnag-Rajouri seat is a prestige battle for Omar Abdullah’s National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti’s People’s Democratic Party. BJP is also taking this seat seriously.
“I am not ruling out contesting from Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary constituency,” said Ghulam Nabi Azad, 75, who also served as a Union minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.
Azad told NDTV in an exclusive interview, “Many people are asking me to contest the elections. There is more demand for my stay in Parliament, but there are also people who want me to contest the assembly elections.”
It is believed that Mehbooba Mufti may contest elections from Anantnag seat.
She had come third in the last Parliament elections and pointing out the poor performance of her party, Omar Abdullah has refused to give seats to PDP, even though both the parties are part of the India Bloc.
BJP state unit chief Ravinder Raina is also campaigning extensively in the region and holding rallies in areas where BJP was barred from going till a few years ago.
For long-time Rajya Sabha member Ghulam Nabi Azad, this will be the first test of popularity in his home state after his exit from the Congress. This will also make Anantnag a keenly watched election battle.
Azad launched his own party, the Democratic Progressive Azad Party, after quitting the Congress and has since been making scathing attacks on Rahul Gandhi and the functioning of the grand old party.
Azad, a member of the “One Nation, One Election” committee headed by former President Ramnath Kovind, said he strongly supports simultaneous elections for Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, which is long overdue.
The Election Commission is visiting Jammu and Kashmir to review the election preparations. There are reports that the Commission is considering holding simultaneous elections in the Union Territory.
He said, “I am in favor of simultaneous elections in Jammu and Kashmir. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir are more worried about the assembly elections than the Parliament elections.”
The BJP calls it an improvement on governments led by local parties. Ravinder Raina said, “Today poor people are getting their rights. PM Modi has given a golden (health card) to every resident of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Ghulam Nabi Azad said that after his exit from Congress, he held around 600 public meetings in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 18 months.
He said, “I am very satisfied that I have formed my party. There is an overwhelming response from all sections of the society, but their real challenge will be to convert this enthusiasm into votes.”