NC, PDP, Congress Delegation Meets Election Commission, Demands Polls In J&K

Veteran leaders Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah, Pramod Tiwari, and Naseer Hussain will be the part of the delegation

A delegation of Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Pramod Tiwari, and Naseer Hussian met with ECI demanding polls in Jammu and Kashmir

New Delhi: A delegation of National Conference, Peoples’ Democratic Party along with Congress met the Election Commission of India to demand elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Veteran leaders Mehbooba Mufti, Farooq Abdullah, Pramod Tiwari, and Naseer Hussain will be the part of the delegation, reported news agency ANI. 

After the meeting, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah said that the poll body has assured to look into this matter and added, “it's unfortunate that a State which is the crown of India was made a Union Territory. We want a democratic government in Jammu and Kashmir.”

Prior to the meeting, speaking to reporters, Abdullah said that 13 parties from Jammu and Kashmir held a meeting here today and agreed that the statehood of J&K should be restored.

Delhi | A delegation of NC and PDP along with Congress leaders meet ECI over the demand for elections in Jammu & Kashmir

ECI has assured us that they're looking into this matter. It's unfortunate that a State which is the crown of India was made a Union Territory. We want a… https://t.co/lseHWhg5Ph pic.twitter.com/7paNkVOavZ

— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2023

“We all are together on the issue of why elections are not being held in J&K when the situation has normalised,” he added. 

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar also said that they have agreed on the issue of restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood. “We all are ready to visit Srinagar to share the pain of the people of J&K and to give them assurance,” Pawar told reporters in the national capital. 

The statehood of Jammu and Kashmir was removed after the Centre revoked Article 370 in August 2019, trifurcating it into three Union Territories. If elections held this year for the 90-member legislative assembly, it would be the first to take place since 2014 and after revocation of the statehood.