Sajad Lone led Peoples Conference to go solo in assembly polls

Shunning the baggage of BJP, separatist-turned-pro-India leader Sajad Gani Lone on Friday announced that his Peoples Conference will not enter into any pre-poll alliance and contest all the 87 seats in the forthcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

"We will not have any pre polls alliance, neither with any regional nor any national party. We will fight on all 87 seats", Lone told reporters after former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLA from Zadibal constituency Abid Hussain Ansari formally joined Peoples Conference (PC).

Lone, who once took pride to call Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his elder brother, was the minister in the last PDP-BJP coalition government from the BJP quota.

"Just wait for coming times. So many people will join the caravan. Be it those who are new to politics or the old who have the experience. The blend of the two. Whether it is Pir Panjal, Jammu region, Chenab, Central South and North Kashmir or Ladakh, our candidates will be on all the 87 seats", he said.

Lone's decision to go solo comes a month after he wrote a letter to J&K governor Satya Pal Malik staking claim to form the next government with the support of BJP MLA and 18 unnamed MLAs.

Lone's letter staking claim came hours after PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti wrote to governor seeking time to staking claim for the government in coalition with National Conference and Congress.

Lone's Peoples Conference had two MLAs in the dissolved Legislative Assembly from the Kupwara district. Lone himself had won from Handwara constituency while his nominee Bashir Ahmad Dar won from Kupwara constituency in 2014 elections.

Batting for early polls, Lone said his party is ready for polls even in February.

"We want the elections should be held in February why wait till parliament. We have a right to say so. Omar Abdullah has no right to give time line because when Municipal election was announced he said he will not contest unless article 35 A decision comes in January. Either he was telling lie then or now. We want the early elections. The early popular government is formed the better it would be", he said.

Going It Alone

Sajjad Lone, who once took pride to call Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his elder brother, was the minister in the last PDP-BJP coalition government from the Bharatiya Janata Party quota