Srinagar, April 2 (KNS): People's Conference is emerging as a major force on political turf of Kashmir due to its traditional votebank and superb performance in the district development council polls held last year, senior party leader Sulaiman Bhat said.
Talking to reporters senior PC leader said that, The first indication of PC’s emergence came during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when it secured the second highest number of votes in Kashmir, relegating PDP to third position.
"In the polls, National Conference secured 2.79 lakh votes, followed by Peoples Conference 1.32 lakh votes and Peoples Democratic Party just 83 thousand votes",he added.
Senior PC leader further said that the party managed to get support from strongholds of its chairman Sajad Gani Lone, general secretary Imran Reza Ansari and other leaders, during the Lok Sabha polls. “We have significant pockets of influence in different parts of north and central Kashmir. Our party chairman has his personal influence in five to six assembly segments of north Kashmir. It is a known fact that Imran Reza Ansari can influence the outcome on many assembly segments of north and central Kashmir,” he said.
According to the party leader, the party’s superb performance in the district development council polls attracted many leaders from other parties towards it. “We emerged as the single largest party in two districts of north Kashmir by winning five seats in Kupwara and three in Baramulla. Among all the parties, we had the highest strike rate, “he said.
He said the joining of veteran politician and former deputy chief minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig, former minister and two-time MLA Syed Basharat Bukhari has further strengthened the party in north Kashmir.
“Muzaffar Hussain Baig has his personal influence in different pockets of Baramulla district . Basharat Bukhari has twice won assembly polls from Sangrama after he joined politics,” he said.
The party leader said that they are also trying to expand their footprint in central and south Kashmir.
“Khursheed Alam and Peerzada Mansoor’s entry is significant for us as they will help us to gain foothold respectively in central and south Kashmir. We already have former MLA Zadibal, Abid Ansari in Srinagar,” he said.
According to him, political leaders from different parties are joining PC due to the party's strong votebank and expansion in other areas.
“See the present condition of parties other than NC. These parties are either getting decimated or have failed in electoral battles. We are the only alternative to the National Conference as we have significant influence in north Kashmir and it is a foregone conclusion that we will emerge as a force to reckon in Assembly elections. This is why leaders from other parties are joining us,” he said.
“Some parties were made by annihilating us but they are now themselves getting decimated and our leaders are now returning home",he added.(KNS)