Congress to Contest DDC Polls in J&K Elections: PAGD Coalition

Farooq Abdullah, the chairman of National Conference (NC) announced over the weekend that the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) – an alliance of mainstream political parties with a focus to restore special status – will be contesting the upcoming District Development Council (DDC) polls in Jammu and Kashmir alongside a new coalition with the Congress party.

“The Congress is still a part of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration and we will fight the DDC elections together,” the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and President of PAGD told ANI.

His remarks came a day after the Congress announced its decision to field their own candidates for the upcoming District Development Council (DDC) elections.

Last week, J&K Election Commissioner KK Sharma announced that the first DDC elections in the newly bifurcated Union Territory will be held on 28 November and 22 December and will have eight phases, reported NDTV. The DDC election for 280 constituencies will fill up 234 vacant seats of sarpanches, panches and local bodies.