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Azad’s DPAP backs out of race from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat
No candidate from Azad’s party turned up to file nomination from the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat on the last day of filing nomination papers
Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) led by former J&K chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has decided not to contest elections from Baramulla Lok Sabha seat. The party is however contesting on two Lok Sabha seats--Kashmir-Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri.
No candidate from Azad’s party turned up to file nomination from the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat on the last day of filing nomination papers. Speaking on the same, DPAP district president Omar Kakroo, “We have decided not to contest polls from Baramulla. Our party is contesting in only two seats of Kashmir.”
Azad’s party hold substantial vote in more than three assembly segments of Baramulla Lok Sabha seat, especially in Baramulla, Uri, Sangrama and Sopore. However party is silent to which candidate the party is going to support in Baramulla.
The leaders within Azad’s party are of the opinion that they should support independent candidate Sheikh Rashid, alias Engineer Rashid. “We have a strong reason to support Engineer Rashid. It was his vote as legislator of J&K assembly that helped Ghulam Nabi Azad to reach parliament in his second tenure in Rajya Sabha. So this is a time we should repay him,” said a senior DPAP leader.
Some leaders of Azad’s party are already posting messages for Rashid on social media. Another leader said that since DPAP is a new party they won’t support the parties which carry baggage. “It’s better to stay silent than to support traditional parties against whom we have to fight assembly polls in future.”
Azad, last month, had said that the focus of his newly established party is state and not the Centre. Azad, 75, formed the DPAP in September 2022 after ending his five-decade-long association with the Congress . The former J&K chief minister had managed to rope in several former Congress legislators in his party who were holding good sway in their respective areas in Anantnag, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Baramulla districts. The party has nominated advocate Saleem Parray as its candidate from Anantnag Rajouri. Parray is an elected DDC member while district president DPAP Srinagar Amir Bhat will contest from Srinagar Lok Sabha seat.
