J&K elections likely to be held around March: Sajad Lone

People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone on Sunday informed that the assembly elections could be held in Jammu and Kashmir around March next year, but New Delhi could spring a surprise as nobody has conveyed a specific date yet.

“They are saying that elections will happen around March or April next year...That is an idea we got, but nobody has conveyed a specific date. New Delhi often surprises you...Someday we will get up in the morning and there will be a notification saying that the elections are happening within 45 days,” said Lone, while welcoming the new joinees from northern Kashmir to his party.

Lone, who served as a minister in the PDP-BJP government until 2018, said: “After August 5, 2019, mainstream political parties are on the backfoot. But history bears witness to the fact that our time to play on the frontfoot will also come... No nation remains on the backfoot for long.” He said the biggest challenge of the leadership is that they can’t afford to act in a manner which hurts or damages the nation.


“The biggest skill is to save the nation and its youth. We have to show patience. It is a long game. Nothing started on August 5, 2019 and nothing ended on that day. Things will go on,” said Lone. However, he lamented that the politicians in J&K are currently helpless and can’t do much about the prevailing situation.

“There is anger against this administration, there is anger against us and there is simmering anger against what happened on August 5, 2019. It is dangerous, but there is very little we can do,” said Lone.

While referring to the meeting of politicians from J&K with the prime minister in June this year, Lone said he didn’t have any expectations from the meeting, which was a social and political interaction, where exchange of ideas took place.