PAGD, Cong to support candidates of each other
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 8: National Conference president and People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) chairman Dr Farooq Abdullah today said the Congress is very much part of the PAGD while PCC president GA Mir said the PAGD and Congress will support candidates of each other in the DDC elections so that secular votes are not divided.
Mir met Dr Farooq Abdullah here, a day after skipping the PAGD meeting and said he discussed the issues of District Development Council (DDC) elections with him.
“We spoke about polls. Our target is BJP. We will support potential candidates of each other but symbols will be own,” Mir said, adding the idea is that secular votes shouldn’t be divided.
“The BJP or its offshoots shouldn’t get benefitted,” Mir said.
He hailed decision of the PAGD to contest the elections of the DDCs.
Asserting that the Congress was very much part of their grouping, NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah today said they would fight the DDC polls in Jammu and Kashmir “together”.
His remarks came a day after the Congress announced its decision to put up candidates for the upcoming DDC elections.
Dr Abdullah said that J-K Congress president G A Mir came to meet him today and said “we are fighting the elections together”.
Dr Abdullah, who was speaking to reporters at Raghunath Bazar in the heart of the city, was asked whether the Congress which was a signatory of the Gupkar Declaration has separated from the Alliance since it has not attended any of its meetings so far.
“Where have they separated? There should be no misconception. The Congress is part of the Alliance and we are fighting the (DDC) elections together,” the National Conference leader said.
When his attention was drawn to Mir’s statement on Saturday that his party is fighting the DDC elections and putting up candidates, the former Chief Minister quipped, “When you heard this…yesterday was different and today Mir sahib came to meet me and said we are fighting the elections together.”
The PAGD — an alliance of seven mainstream parties of Jammu and Kashmir seeking the restoration of the erstwhile State’s special status — announced on Saturday that it would contest the DDC polls unitedly.
In response to another question about several Exit Polls predicting a big win for RJD led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar Assembly elections, Dr Abdullah said, “There is a difference between real polls and Exit Polls.”
“When the real polls get over, we will talk,” he said.
Dr Abdullah said he is praying for more pilgrims to visit the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop the Trikuta hills and that it is beneficial for the economy of Jammu and Kashmir.
“We want more pilgrims to come to Mata Vaishno Devi shrine and it is possible that our problems, as well as the problems of the pilgrims, will get resolved,” he said.
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