SRINAGAR: PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said that if her party had not been there, the National Conference would have been functioning in a dictatorial manner in Jammu and Kashmir. “The public of Jammu and Kashmir has understood that PDP had established good governance in the state. Universities, colleges, and AIIMS were established by the PDP government,” Mufti told reporters here. “If Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had not founded PDP then the National Conference would still be functioning in a dictatorial manner. People are very angry and upset with the National Conference,” she added. Mufti’s strong remarks against NC come as political parties have stepped up their electoral campaign in the Union Territory for the upcoming Assembly election. Polling would be held in three phases starting from September 18, 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8. The National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party have mentioned the restoration of Article 370 in their manifestos. The BJP, on the other hand, said that Article 370 has become a thing of the past. The upcoming elections are the first polls to be held in the Union Territory after the abrogation of Article 370. The National Conference and the Congress have forged a pre-poll alliance ahead of the polls. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who released the BJP’s manifesto in Jammu on Friday, launched a scathing attack on Congress and the National Conference’s manifesto on Saturday. Shah said that they want to spread terrorism, snatch reservations of Gujjars, Bakarwal, Paharis, and Dalits, release criminals, and start LOC trade with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir. In an interview with ANI, NC Vice-President, Omar Abdullah, said that Article 370 is a long struggle. “Article 370 and the special status of J&K are part of the National Conference’s ideology. It’s not something that we will surrender. But it’s not something that this assembly will be able to do. A couple of government changes will be needed at the centre before we even begin to address this issue. It took the BJP decades to do this, and we are not foolish to think that we will be able to undo it in 5 years. It’s a long struggle. It’s an issue that we believe is important to keep alive,” he said. There are a total number of 90 assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 7 seats are reserved for SCs and 9 seats are reserved for STs. According to the Election Commission of India, Jammu and Kashmir has 88.06 lakh eligible electors. In the previous Assembly elections, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12.
