Mehbooba Mufti Declares: No participation in assembly polls without restoration of Article 370, citing it as an ‘Emotional Issue’
Earlier today, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti welcomed the opening of the Sharda Devi Temple near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district and expressed hope of resumption of cross-border trade.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has said she will not fight an assembly election “as long as Article 370 is not restored.” Speaking to news agency PTI, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief said that Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that embodied special provisions for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir is “more of an emotional issue for me.”
“I am never going to fight assembly elections as long as Article 370 is not restored. Whenever I took an oath as a member assembly it was under two constitutions, J&K Constitution and Constitution of India, with two flag at the same time,” Mufti told PTI.
“Maybe it’s very foolish on my part but it’s more of an emotional issue,” she said, without ruling out the prospect of contesting Lok Sabha elections.
“Parliament I don’t know.”
The PDP chief recently said that assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be held only when the situation was “conducive” for the BJP. Mufti was responding to media queries after addressing a public rally at Poonch. When asked about the Assembly polls, she said she can’t predict them.
“How can I say anything on the elections because it is the BJP, which has to take the call and not the Election Commission? The Election Commission had already said that they were ready for elections in J&K but they (elections) will be held when situation is conducive for the BJP,” she said.
Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have been warming up for the assembly elections and been holding several public meetings. Former chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah last week said Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and another member have assured assembly elections in J&K ‘soon’.
