SRINAGAR: J&K Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra pushed back Thursday against allegations by BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav that former militants are assisting National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in their campaign for the Sept 18-Oct 1 assembly elections.
“Madhav seems unaware of his party inducting ex-militants into its fold,” Karra said after filing his nomination papers for Srinagar’s Central Shalteng constituency. He alleged that BJP has been forced to take the help of former militants because it could not attract “right-thinking people”.
Karra also accused “some parties” of backing independent candidates to split the vote. “People should be aware of such tactics and vote for the right candidate,” he cautioned.
Several former militants, separatists, and their relatives are running as independent candidates in J&K’s first election in a decade, including former members of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami. This shift signals a trend toward mainstream political participation, departing from past separatist boycotts.
The NC-Congress alliance is contesting 83 out of 90 seats, leaving five for “friendly contests.” NC will contest 51, Congress 32, and one seat each has been allocated to allies CPM and J&K National Panthers Party.
Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone, another key regional player, released Thursday his party’s election manifesto, aligning with NC and Congress on the promise to fight for the restoration of J&K’s statehood.
Lone also pledged to establish a judicial commission to investigate the alleged rigging of the 1987 assembly elections, which is believed to have triggered the insurgency in the region. He had said NC chief and former CM Farooq Abdullah, Congress functionaries, and govt officials should be “tried and punished” for their role in what his party terms “The Great Robbery of 1987”.
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