Srinagar, Apr 3 (UNI) In a setback to INDIA alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday announced that the PDP will field candidates for all three Lok Sabha seats in the valley.

Mufti said the National Conference has left no option for PDP other than to field candidates and contest the elections.

She told reporters in Srinagar the party’s Parliamentary Board would take a final call on the candidates and announce the names in the coming days.

Mufti’s announcement came a day after NC Vice President Omar Abdullah suggested PDP to refrain from fielding candidates against them in the three Valley seats.

“Omar sahib recently said that PDP has no existence and Mehbooba had came at number 4 (in 2019 polls). What happened after that was that my worker who has been with me during the tough times felt insulted and disheartened….. The PDP won 28 seats and kept NC out of power twice in a few years and now they (NC) were saying that the PDP has no existence. Omar Sahib’s language was hard and my worker felt hurt.
With which face I will go to my worker and say that Omar sahib says that PDP should restrain from fielding candidates and support them. Is it so easy?” she asked.

“They (NC) have left no door open to us other than to field candidates and contest the elections," the PDP President added.

Mufti said that her party would have left all the seats for NC, but unfortunately the PDP was never consulted.

"During the INDIA alliance meeting in Mumbai, I told Farooq (Sahib) Abdullah, who is our seniormost leader, that he will have to take a decision about Jammu and Kashmir. And when anyone becomes a judge, I had thought he would rise above the party politics," she said.
Mufti said the way Omar talked yesterday, the NC leaders could have said this two months back.
"Farooq sahib could have called me or invited me that you have given the responsibility to me to decide and I have decided for some reasons that our representatives could do better or our party workers are not accepting and that is why we have decided to take this decision and this should happen in the larger interest .. When this was easy they did not do so. And when you make anyone the head of the family or a judge, it is the judge who should ensure justice and rise above party level," the former Chief Minister said.
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