SRINAGAR: After three days of hectic and tough deliberations and negotiations, the seven parties Peoples’ Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) on Sunday evening released the second list of 27 candidates for phase two of District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Of the 27 seats, PDP and NC would be contesting eight seats each, followed by Peoples Conference in five seats, Congress 3, JKPM 2 and ANC 1.
However, there has been dissent on two seats being contested by PDP. One of the seats in Tangdhar, Kupwara has been given to the party retrospectively while CPM has expressed dissent on the PDP contesting from Pombay and Kulgam. The Kulgam Assembly segment of south Kashmir in erstwhile J&K Assembly has remained a stronghold of CPM. The seat was represented by Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami of the communist party, who is now the convenor of PAGD.
The list was released by PAGD spokesman and Peoples Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone in the evening today after three days of hectic deliberations between the PAGD and Congress leaders.
The Congress has joined hands with PAGD for the DDC polls.
Sources said differences had cropped up among the PAGD and Congress leaders during the deliberations over the distribution of seats with all parties demanding more share in the seats.
“The PAGD and Congress leaders were supposed to finalise candidates for the rest of the seven phases. But they released a list of candidates for the second phase only. It means the differences still exist and more negotiations and deliberations will be held,” they said.
In the first list of 27 candidates released by PAGD, NC had got lion’s share of 21 seats while PDP had got only 4 seats and two had gone to Peoples Conference.
Meanwhile, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is addressing a press conference at her Gupkar residence tomorrow.
The BJP also released a second list of 44-candidates for the DDC polls.
The first-ever DDC polls, along with by-elections for vacant panchayat and urban local bodies (ULBs) seats are being held in eight phases in J&K, beginning November 28. The last phase of polls would be held on December 19 and counting would take place on December 22.
These elections will be the first major political activity and electoral exercise in Jammu and Kashmir since August 5 last year, when Centre abrogated Articles 370 and 35A and bifurcated J&K state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir (with legislature), and Ladakh (without legislature).