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Khurshid Alam quits in jolt to Sajad Lone’s People’s Conference
In recent Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir, PC led by Sajad Lone fought in Baramulla constituency and supported Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari in Srinagar constituency. Both parties faced losses in the elections
Former legislator and senior leader Khurshid Alam quit the People’s Conference on Friday, a little over a month after the party’s dismal showing in the Lok Sabha elections.
Alam, 70, had joined the party in 2021.
“I had a good experience at PC and with Sajjad Gani Lone but my workers insist that our future is not good by staying there. In Srinagar we had very negligible acceptance and could not connect more people with this party. I may consider this as my own weakness as well,” said Alam in a video interview.
In recent Lok Sabha elections in Kashmir, PC led by Sajad Lone fought in Baramulla constituency and supported Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari in Srinagar constituency. Both parties faced losses in the elections.
Alam, who served as member of legislative council in J&K Assembly in PDP-BJP government, had joined PC in March 2021 after leaving Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
Alam, like all other mainstream political leaders of Kashmir, was also jailed for over seven months following the constitutional changes in J&K on August 5, 2019.
In 2014, Alam had lost to National Conference’s Ali Mohammad Sagar in Khanyar assembly constituency of Srinagar. He was later nominated by PDP for MLC post in J&K Assembly in 2015.
Alam said that there was ‘tagging’ in the parliamentary elections which caused apprehension in people’s mind, an apparent reference to opposition NC and PDP calling PC and Apni Party allies of BJP.
He said that staying with PC would not respect the mandate of people in Srinagar.
“Unfortunately our some decisions were also wrong which caused the drubbing in elections and you see the results. Small political workers like us have to respect the sentiments of the people. We can’t reject their sentiment… In current times, the acceptance of People’s Conference among people, particularly in Srinagar, is negligible,” he said.
On rumours that he was joining PDP again, Alam said that the decision will be taken by his party people.
“For my integrity, I won’t get with a begging bowl to any political party. Options are always there if a political worker is active. I don’t believe in sitting idle,” he said.
