Ex-J&K Minister Set To Rejoin Congress Ahead Of Polls, Says Ghulam Nabi Azad ‘Should Also Return’

Ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir election 2024, former minister Taj Mohiuddin resigned from DPAP and plans to rejoin Congress, expressing a desire for Ghulam Nabi Azad to follow suit.

Former Jammu and Kashmir minister Taj Mohiuddin | Ex-CM Ghulam Nabi Azad

Source : ANI | PTI

Ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, former Jammu and Kashmir minister Taj Mohiuddin has announced his resignation from the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP). Speaking to news agency ANI, Mohiuddin confirmed that he would soon be rejoining the Congress, describing this move as a "homecoming."

Mohiuddin further disclosed that he is returning to the Congress with the consent of DPAP chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad. "It is my wish that Azad should also return to the party," he added, expressing a desire for his former party leader to follow suit, as quoted by ANI.

Additionally, Mohiuddin has expressed his willingness to contest in the upcoming elections, stating that he is ready to do so if the Congress offers him a ticket.

Jammu And Kashmir Election Schedule

The announcement comes as Jammu and Kashmir prepares for its first assembly elections in a decade. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar has announced that the elections in the Union Territory will be conducted in three phases, starting from September 18, followed by September 25, with the final phase on October 1, coinciding with the elections in Haryana. The counting of votes is scheduled for October 4 for both Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

The voter base in Jammu and Kashmir includes 87.09 lakh electors, with 44.46 lakh male, 42.62 lakh female, and 169 transgender voters. Among these, 82,590 are Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), 73,943 are very senior citizens, 2,660 are centenarians, 76,092 are service electors, and 3.71 lakh are first-time voters.

This election marks a critical juncture for Jammu and Kashmir, as the last assembly elections were held in 2014. The political landscape has undergone significant changes since the fall of the PDP-BJP coalition government in June 2018, after the BJP withdrew its support from then-Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Following the Supreme Court's directive to the Centre last December, the election process is to be concluded by September 30, 2024.