Sajad Gani Lone To Contest 2024 Lok Sabha Elections from Baramulla Seat: Jammu And Kashmir People's Conference

The Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference has declared its chief, Sajad Gani Lone, as its candidate for the Baramulla parliamentary constituency in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This announcement was made by the party's Senior General Secretary, Imran Reza Ansari.

Furthermore, the party outlined its strategy regarding other seats in the Kashmir valley, indicating that decisions on those will be made in due course. Additionally, it clarified that the party will not contest any seats in the Jammu region of the Union Territory.

Sajad Gani Lone, who ventured into mainstream politics in 2009, previously contested the Lok Sabha polls from the Baramulla seat. Despite an unsuccessful attempt in 2009, he continued his political journey and achieved success in the 2014 Assembly polls, winning from the Handwara constituency.

Having played a pivotal role in the PDP-BJP government of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Sajad Lone served as a cabinet minister.

Imran Ansari, the secretary-general of the party, expressed that after extensive discussions with party leaders, Sajad Gani Lone's candidacy for the Baramulla seat received overwhelming endorsement from both the leadership and rank and file of the party.

Regarding the party's electoral strategy, Ansari highlighted that decisions on contesting other seats will be based on available resources and the objective of defeating common adversaries. The party intends to contest only in areas where it believes it can secure victory independently, while also considering alliances to oppose the primary adversaries of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Sajad Lone's nomination for the Baramulla seat comes amidst ongoing deliberations within the INDIA bloc regarding seat-sharing agreements with other political entities like Congress, National Conference, and the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

The PDP recently withdrew from the INDIA bloc, while Congress has proposed a seat-sharing formula with the National Conference. These developments suggest a potential lack of space for accommodating Mehbooba Mufti's PDP within the alliance.