J&K: PAGD announces third list of candidates for district development council elections

PAGD chairman Farooq Abdullah released the list of 16 candidates with the PDP contesting on eight seats, the NC on six seats, and the Peoples Conference and the Awami National Conference on one each

People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) announced late on Tuesday its third list of candidates for the district development council polls in Jammu and Kashmir which will be held in a phased manner.

The list came out on the day Union home minister Amit Shah blamed the alliance for pushing J&K back to the era of “terror and turmoil”.

PAGD chairman Farooq Abdullah released the list of 16 candidates with the Peoples Democratic Party contesting on eight seats, the National Conference on six seats, and the Peoples Conference and the Awami National Conference on one each. No Congress candidate figured in the third list. So far, PAGD has released names of 70 candidates for DDC polls in Kashmir.

The first list had most of the candidates from the National Conference but the second and the third lists have accommodated candidates from other PAGD constituents as well.

Earlier on Tuesday, Amit Shah, in a scathing criticism of the six-party bloc, termed them as the “Gupkar Gang” that wanted to take away the rights of Dalits, women and tribals that the Centre had ensured by removing Article 370, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state. He also dared Congress president Sonia Gandhi and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi to clarify their stand on the alliance.

Shah’s remarks triggered a sharp response from the PAGD, which, its leader say, was formed to demand restoration of the special status. The PAGD leadership said the Bharatiya Janata Party was trying to delegitimise a coalition that was taking part in a democratic process.