Kishtwar/Jammu: Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) vice-president Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, who was denied ticket by the party, on Tuesday filed his nomination as an independent candidate from Inderwal seat in Kishtwar district and said he could not ignore the people’s demand to contest the assembly elections.
The former minister, however, ruled out any differences with DPAP chief Ghulam Nabi Azad, affirming that Azad would remain his leader.
While the DPAP released its first list of 13 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections on Sunday, the names of Azad’s loyalists, Saroori and Jugal Kishore Sharma, were missing.
“I have filed nomination papers as an independent candidate from the Inderwal constituency. We have been working for the people of this region and will continue to do so. I acted on the decision of the people of Inderwal and could not ignore their demand,” Saroori told reporters in Kishtwar.
Saroori, who has represented the Inderwal seat for four terms, emphasized that he had no differences with the party or its leader over the denial of the ticket.
“I have no differences with Azad. He is my leader. I was compelled by the people to contest elections from Inderwal. They have assured me that we will win this election. I contested elections in 2002, 2008, and 2014 and won each time, thanks to the support of these people,” he said.
The DPAP leader said the people of the constituency urged him to contest as an independent candidate. “I am ready to contest. The mandate belongs to the people, not anyone else,” he said.
Saroori lost his deposit in the 2024 parliamentary elections from Kathua-Udhampur seat, which was won for the third time by Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
He served as a three-time MLA from the Inderwal constituency from 2002 to 2018. In 2008, he was appointed as the minister of state for tourism, forests, school education, social welfare, and consumer affairs & public distribution.
Saroori was previously associated with the Congress for a long time but resigned along with Azad in August 2022.
When asked if he intends to resign from DPAP, he said, “Azad is my leader and will continue to remain my leader.”
Saroori emphasized that his focus will be on ensuring employment for uneducated youth, eradicating the menace of drug addiction, and ensuring peace and normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Tariq Hussain Keen of BJP, Sheikh Nasir of PDP, Sheikh Zafarullah of Congress-NC alliance, and independent candidate Paray Lal Sharma also filed their nomination papers for the Inderwal constituency, making the contest a multi-cornered one.
