Anantnag, Aug 16: As the Election Commission announced the dates for the assembly elections, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and former J&K Congress President, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to carefully choose candidates and elect a party that will fight for the restoration of statehood.
“Better late than never,” Mir said. “The people had high expectations since 2018, and these expectations have only grown since then for the assembly elections.”
Mir said there should have been a new government and fresh elections within six months after the BJP and PDP’s alliance broke in 2018. “However, this unfortunate state became a testing ground for the central government, turning Jammu and Kashmir into a laboratory for new experiments,” he said.
“Ultimately, after all the testing, the Election Commission of India had to follow the Supreme Court’s directive and make a formal announcement. That’s why I say the upcoming elections will give the people of Jammu and Kashmir a chance to choose their representatives and select the right political party—one that will respect the aspirations of the people,” he added.
The Congress leader further said the people should elect candidates who will work to restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, from J&K to Delhi. “The fight is to restore statehood, and though these elections are being held in a Union Territory, the real battle is to bring back the state. The formation of an assembly is in the hands of the people, and they have to decide its future,” he said.
