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Rahul Gandhi, who launched the Congress' campaign for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Wednesday, said that if elected, the party would "restore statehood to J&K".
The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) must declare the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, or the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) bloc will prioritise this move as their initial action following the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party from power.
"We will ensure the return of statehood to the region, whether the BJP wants it or not. We will pressurise the government under the banner of the INDIA alliance,” Gandhi said, while addressing a rally in Anantnag’s Dooru in south Kashmir.
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He was accompanied by Farooq Abdullah, the president of the National Conference, and Mian Altaf, a National Conference (NC) MP. The two parties are contesting for the upcoming Assembly elections jointly.
J&K polls: Omar Abdullah files nomination from two seats
NC vice-president and former chief minister of J&K, Omar Abdullah, has filed nominations from two seats.
Abdullah, on Friday, filed his nomination for the Budgam seat. The day before, he had also filed papers for his family stronghold, Ganderbal. In the 2014 Assembly elections, Abdullah secured the Beerwah Assembly seat, which is adjacent to Budgam.
After filing his nominations, Abdullah said, “Contesting two seats is a show of strength of the National Conference. There is a wave in favour of the NC and we hope that on the day that votes are counted, we are successful.”
J&K Assembly polls: Sajad Gani Lone likely to fight from two seats
President of the People's Conference Sajad Gani Lone is likely to contest elections from two Assembly constituencies in Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir. News reports show that alongside the Handwara seat, which has been under the party's control for over a decade, the party members are also advocating for Lone to run in the Kupwara Assembly constituency.
J&K polls: BJP to release manifesto today
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will release the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) "Sankalp Patra" (manifesto) on Friday for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
During his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, the senior BJP leader will unveil the manifesto around 3:30 pm at a hotel in Jammu, with other prominent party members present.
The BJP considers Jammu district, which contains 11 Assembly constituencies, as crucial. In the 2014 elections, the party won nine of these seats, contributing to its overall count of 25. The BJP has so far announced 51 candidates for the 90-seat Assembly, with voting scheduled to begin on September 18.
(With agency inputs)
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