Anantnag, Apr 17: Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) Wednesday said that the party chief and former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad would not contest the Lok Sabha polls from Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat.
DPAP Provincial President and former MLA Muhammad Amin Bhat told Greater Kashmir that the party nominated Muhammad Saleem Parray as Lok Sabha candidate for the seat.
“The decision was taken during a meeting attended by the assembly constituency in-charges from south Kashmir,” Bhat said.
He said that the meeting was presided over by Azad and it was unanimously decided that he would not contest the Lok Sabha polls, choosing instead to serve the people of J&K.
“During his recent tour of Chenab Valley, people insisted Azad Sahab to serve J&K a chief minister,” Bhat said.
He said that Azad was earlier offered a Rajya Sabha berth by Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamta Banerjee and Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), but refused as he wanted to serve the people of J&K.
Speaking to Greater Kashmir over the phone, Parray, who is a District Development Council (DDC) member from Sogam, Anantnag, said that it was the unanimous decision of the party to field him from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.
On April 2, DPAP announced that Azad would participate in the polls for the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.
However, on April 8, Azad dropped a hint that he may not contest the polls.