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PDP will leave all seats for Congress-NC if...: Mehbooba Mufti on J&K polls
Mehbooba Mufti was talking to reporters following the release of the PDP's manifesto for the assembly elections.
People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday her party would leave all assembly seats for the Congress-National Conference alliance if it is ready to accept PDP's agenda.
“Forget about alliance and seat-sharing, if the Congress and the National Conference (NC) are ready to accept our agenda -- that resolution of the Kashmir issue is necessary and on opening of routes -- we will tell them to contest on all the seats and we will follow you,” Mufti said while releasing the manifesto for the upcoming assembly elections.
“Because, for me, the resolution of the Kashmir problem is much more important than anything else,” she added.
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She dismissed any possibility of an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with which the PDP had previously formed a coalition government.
"Whether you give me three or four seats, it does not mean anything to me. When we entered into an alliance with either the Congress or the BJP, it was on our agenda. The NC and the Congress have not entered into an alliance on any agenda but for seat-sharing and we will not talk of such an alliance, which only talks about seat-sharing," she said.
Elections to the 90-member assembly will be held in three phases -- September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will be held on October 4.
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PDP manifesto
The PDP in its poll manifesto promised to pursue the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir to its "original status", and advocate for confidence-building measures (CBMs) and regional cooperation between India and Pakistan.
"The PDP is resolute in its pursuit of restoring the constitutional guarantees that were unjustly scrapped, and is committed to restoring Jammu & Kashmir to its original status, ensuring that the voices of its people are heard and their rights are safeguarded," it said.
The manifesto said the "unconstitutional and illegal revocation" of Articles 370 and 35A in 2019 has "further complicated the Kashmir issue, deepening the alienation felt by the people of the region".
The manifesto strives for revocation of the Public Safety Act (PSA), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Enemy Act, and said it committed for the revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
