All four candidates had filed their papers from parts of Azad’s home turf in the Chenab Valley, formerly the Doda district. Azad had reportedly left suddenly for New Delhi, giving his party candidates the option to contest the election based on their personal choice.
Although elections for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly are being held after a gap of ten years, the ongoing election process is witnessing the absence of three former chief ministers – Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, and Ghulam Nabi Azad – from the electoral arena.
Earlier speculations were rife that Azad might return to Congress before the assembly elections, but this was denied by the DPAP.
The Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) on Sunday clarified that party chairman and senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is not rejoining the Congress Party.
DPAP's denial on the issue has come amidst the season of defection that set in immediately after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
The former Congress leader is expected to launch his political party on the occasion.
After former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and ex-Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda met Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress leaders have sought action against the two for going against the party lines as Azad had hit on Gandhis which has not gone down well with the party leaders, mainly the loyalists.
Over 36 Congress leaders including leaders of the National Students' Union of India, the youth wing of the Congress party, from various universities in Jammu have submitted their resignations in solidarity with Ghulam Nabi Azad who recently announced his exit from the grand old party.
Over a dozen senior Congress leaders and party workers in Jammu and Kashmir resigned on Wednesday to support Ghulam Nabi Azad.
In support of Senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, more than 50 J&K Congress leaders, including former Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Tara Chand, resigned from the party on Tuesday.
