Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) Chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Sunday that there is huge enthusiasm among voters in Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) as elections are being held after a long time.
Azad emphasised that the biggest issues facing Jammu and Kashmir are unemployment and Article 35A.
“There is huge enthusiasm among the voters of J-K as elections are being held after a long time. The biggest problem in J-K is unemployment and Article 35A. PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised in Parliament that statehood would be restored in J-K,” he told ANI.
The DPAP chairman also expressed his hopes for the quick recovery of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who fell ill while addressing an election rally in Kathua on Sunday.
“I pray that he gets well soon. Today was the last day of campaigning. If you campaign continuously, then these kinds of issues are likely to happen,” he said.
When asked about voter turnout in the first and second phases of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, Azad said, “The voting has been successful, and the reason behind this is that the election is being held after a gap of 10 years. Earlier, during the 90s, elections were delayed for six and a half years due to terrorism.”
Earlier this week, Azad said that the issues in Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls have not changed and he is listening to the same slogans that were used to be there in elections during his college days.
He also pointed out that the regional parties in the Union Territory are dividing the people based on religion and roads, schools and education are not an issue, but Islam is a danger–that is the issue.
Elections in Jammu and Kashmir are being conducted in three phases.
The first phase took place on September 18, and the second phase was held on September 25 across six districts in the Ganderbal, Budgam, Srinagar, and Jammu regions: Rajouri, Reasi, and Poonch.
The third and final phase of polling is scheduled for October 1, with vote counting set for October 8.
These assembly elections are the first in the Union Territory after a decade and the first since the abrogation of Article 370. (ANI)
