LS poll 2019: Mehbooba Mufti to contest from Anantnag, PDP decides not to field candidates from Jammu and Udhampur

 Seemingly warming up to Congress, People's Democratic Party (PDP) has decided not to contest Jammu and  Udhampur seats even as it has fielded its president Mehbooba Mufti from Anantnag constituency and Aga Mohsin from Srinagar seat. The decision was taken in the PDP parliamentary Board meeting on Saturday.

Mehbooba said PDP is the single largest party in the State and in the last elections it secured 1.75 lakh votes from Jammu-Rajouri seat and some 30,000 to 40000 from Udhampur-Doda seat. "Some of our associates wanted to contest elections from these two seats as well. But people from civil society and social groups appealed that by contesting the elections the secular vote will be divided and it would help those forces who, we feel, want to destroy Jammu and Kashmir", she said.

After careful deliberations, it was decided not to contest Jammu and Udhampur seats, sources said.

National Conference has already entered into pre poll alliance with Congress and decided to support former Royal Vikramaditya Singh from Udhampur seat and Raman Bhat from Jammu seat. Senior BJP leader and MoS in PMO Dr Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore are contesting from Udhampur and Jammu seats respectively.Mehbooba's plunge into parliamentary polls marks the new beginning as she had resigned from Anantnag after becoming chief minister in 2016. In 2017, she fielded her brother Tasaduq Mufti but the polls had to be countermanded. 

PDP chief has never lost any election from south Kashmir though she was defeated by National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah from Srinagar seat.Meanwhile, the 2010 IAS topper Shah Faesal, who last week floated his own party J&K People's Movement, decided not to contest the parliamentary polls