NC humiliated PDP, now we will contest all three seats: Mehbooba Mufti

The People's Democratic Party (PDP) will contest all three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir, party chief Mehbooba Mufti announced on Wednesday. She said the INDIA alliance partner, National Conference, had humiliated her party, leaving it with no option in the run-up to the general election.

The former J&K chief minister said at a presser at party headquarters that the desperate situation in the region after August 5, 2019, demanded a united response but NC vice-president Omar Abdullah humiliated the PDP and left no room for any consultations.

"There has been an environment of oppression here since August 2019 and thousands of youngsters are rotting in jails outside J&K. In this situation, we had to stand united. But my workers were humiliated by the remarks of Abdullah," said Mufti.


Last month, Abdullah had said that the NC would field candidates on all three seats and that there was no need to consult the PDP as it had finished at number three in the general election in 2019.

"The tone of Omar sahib was harsh, which disappointed our workers. The BJP has already disintegrated my party and all the leaders have left. I am left with my workers, and how can I tell them that we won't fight these polls," said Mufti.

The PDP chief said she had publicly stated during the INDIA alliance meeting in Mumbai that National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah was the senior most leader from J&K and that he would decide about J&K. "Farooq sahib should have followed the path of justice and risen above party interests to decide on this matter, but unfortunately that didn't happen. If my father (Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) would have been alive, he would have behaved differently," said Mufti.

The stance of the NC and PDP on seat-sharing in the Lok Sabha election has also put their regional alliance, People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration - formed in 2020 to strive for restoration of statehood and special status of J&K - in disarray.