NC, PDP fielding proxy candidates in LAHDC polls: BJP

Srinagar: Even as the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have decided to stay away from the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday alleged that the regional parties were fielding proxy candidates in the polls.

“Both NC and PDP are trying to field proxy candidates in the upcoming elections. Fielding proxy candidates or boycott elections will not affect the work of BJP in Kashmir. We are strong and have full faith in the people of Jammu and Kashmir. They are nowhere in the race in the upcoming Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council elections,” said BJP general secretary (organization) Ashok Koul.

He made the comments during the launch of an e-book highlighting ‘work done during lockdown’ by the BJP cadre.

Urging party workers to remain united, Koul said both NC and PDP will bite the dust in Kashmir and Jammu also. “BJP was the first-party who reached out to grassroots and distributed more than 38650 packets of food across the valley while around 65 thousand masks were also distributed among the people during the lockdown,” he said.

Following the eBook launch event, a party meeting was also held in which security of BJP workers was reviewed and preparations for the panchayat elections in the Union Territory.

Around 157 candidates have filed the nominations for the LAHDC polls scheduled on October 16. Besides BJP, Congress , and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), 44 independent candidates have filed nominations. Interestingly, 24 AAP candidates have filed nominations for the LAHDC polls.