This would have been the first election from his own party that Azad would have fought after quitting the Congress.
In a surprise move, Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Wednesday, opted out of the contest from the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency and fielded Mohammad Saleem Parray as his party’s candidate for the seat.
DPAP’s Kashmir provincial president Mohammad Amin Bhat made the announcement in Srinagar.
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PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and National Conference leader Mian Altaf are among the other contenders for the seat.
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The core committee of the DPAP on 2 April announced that Azad would be the party’s candidate for the Anantnag seat.
He had earlier held one round of campaign in almost all segments of the constituency in south Kashmir and the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu.
Bhat said, “He gave some reasons in the meeting and after that, we have decided to field Parray in Azad’s place.”
This would have been the first election from his own party that Azad would have fought after quitting the Congress.
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