PDP to field candidate from Ladakh

The LUTF had been hoping to cash in on the Muslim votebank of the Shia-dominated Kargil district via an alliance with the PDP. However,the PDP’s decision not to support LUTF appears to have given an edge to the Congress candidate,particularly when of the four assembly seats in the region,only one seat is with the LUTF while the three other seats in the area are with the Cong-NC alliance.

PDP President Mehbooba Mufti,said,”The question of supporting the LUTF does not arise and we have decided to field our own candidate from Kargil on the parliamentary seat. Among the panel of candidates for the parliamentary seat are Gulzar Kachroo and Advocate Murtaza.” The PDP has decided to field the candidate as the party leadership was in favour of representing all three regions of the state. PDP won two of the Assembly seats from Jammu in the 2008 Assembly elections and the party says that it was for ‘justice to all the regions and sub-regions of the state.” The BJP has already decided not to field a candidate for the Ladakh seat.

However,even as PDP has decided to field its candidate from Kargil,sources said that the Congress party was still indecisive over whether to field its candidate from Kargil or Leh. They point out that Union Water Resources

Minister and state Congress President,Saifuddin Soz,and Finance Minister and senior NC leader,Abdul Rahim Rather,would be visiting Kargil to consult the local leaders before it takes a final decision on the issue of fielding of a candidate from either Leh or Kargil.