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.
Following the resignation of veteran congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Five former Congress MLAs from Jammu & Kashmir legislators also resigned from the party. All five were close associates with veterans.
In a hard-hitting five-page letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he squarely blamed her son and senior leader Rahul Gandhi for the party's terminal decline, saying all important decisions were being taken by Rahul or his security guards and PAs while she was just a nominal figurehead.
National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Friday said Ghulam Nabi Azad must have resigned from the Congress as he must not be getting respect and love from the party and added that the country needs a stronger opposition.
Reacting to the resignation of senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad from all the positions of the party, Jairam Ramesh, AICC general secretary termed the resignation as "unfortunate".
Azad's resignation comes after some of the senior leaders from the party, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jaiveer Shergil, Jitin Prasada also took an exit from the grand old party.
