E-Paper
J&K DDC polls: Gupkar alliance ditches Congress on seat-sharing pact in Nowshera
Congress did not field any candidate from the Nowshera seat in the previous phase of the DDC polls
Congress, which had jumped on the Gupkar bandwagon ahead of the district development council (DDC) elections, has been ditched by the latter on their seat-sharing agreement.
Former MLC and chief spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Ravinder Sharma said, “It is unfortunate that the National Conference (NC) fielded candidates where the seats were left for Congress in Nowshera assembly constituency. While Congress remained committed to the settlement and didn’t field its candidate against the PDP-NC alliance in Nowshera, the latter has backtracked.”
Sharma, who was on a tour of the area to campaign for the Congress candidates, regretted that the NC fielded its candidates at the eleventh hour from Seri-Lamberi and Sunderbani seats in Nowshera assembly constituency against the settlement arrived at between the parties on seat sharing at some places.
“It was settled at the very beginning of talks for seat sharing, of which he was also a part, that the PDP-NC would together contest the Nowshera seat while Seri-Lamberi would go to Congress and for the Sunderbani seat, the local leadership would jointly decide the candidate. I did honour the settlement but it was unfortunate that the NC fielded its candidate in Seri-Lamberi seat on the last day against the prior agreement.”
Congress did not field any candidate from the Nowshera seat in the previous phase of the DDC polls.
“I was conveyed by the top NC leadership on the day of filing of papers too that the latter would not field its candidate from Seri-Lamberi, but unfortunately it did, which is wrong,” he added.
“At all other places where seats were mutually left for each other, no cross candidates were fielded, though on many seats we are contesting against each other,” he said.
Seeking support for Congress, he appealed to the people to vote for any like-minded party or secular candidate where Congress was not in the fray, but reject BJP.
Sharma along with senior leaders of the party carried out a hectic campaign in various villages of Nowshera and urged people to reject the BJP for its “anti-youth, anti-poor and anti-farmer policies”.
