In a jolt to Congress in poll-bound Jammu and Kashmir, its senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma today quit the party and joined opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Sharma joined PDP along with his elder son Subhash a day after the Election Commission announced a five-phase polling to the state Assembly beginning November 25.
Terming the joining of Mangat Ram Sharma as big boost for his party, PDP Patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed recalled his long association with him. "We were colleagues in the government of Mir Qasim and we worked in the previous PDP-Congress government," he said.
Welcoming him, the Mufti said, "It is a matter of satisfaction that PDP in a short span of time has emerged as strong political force in the state as well as a credible voice of the people of Jammu and Kashmir."
He said PDP's agenda of peace and development was now seen positively not just in Kashmir Valley but in Jammu and Ladakh regions also.
Noting that the formation of PDP in 1999 was a turning point in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, he said, "In a short span, PDP has earned credibility of the state's people. The party has emerged as the biggest political force in the state.
