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Will support Azad in RS polls: Omar

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 1/28/2015 3:23:19 PM

SRINAGAR, Jan 27: Former chief minister and National Conference (NC) working president Omar Abdullah today said that his party will support Congress candidates Ghulam Nabi Azad in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
Talking to KNS from New Delhi over phone after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Omar said, “We will support Azad sahib. NC and Congress can win one seat if we work hard as PDP-BJP has decided to contest in alliance. If they (PDP-BJP) would not have contested together we could have won more seats. But now we can win only one seat if we work hard.”
Asked why they fielded candidates for other seats when they could only win one seat, he said, “Why should we leave the field open for PDP-BJP? We fielded our two candidates to expose PDP that it is with BJP. What for is PDP waiting when they are contesting RS polls with BJP? What is stopping them from forming the government? If people have voted they have not voted for government run by officers. What is stopping PDP from entering into an alliance with BJP when they have decided to contest the RS polls together?”
Asked whether they were in touch with other independent candidates to garner support, Omar said, “This you can ask to Azad sahib. Our responsibility is for 15 seats of NC.”
To a question why NC changed its decision not to field Dr Farooq Abdullah, he said, “Initially Congress was ready to support Farooq sahib’s candidature. Sonia ji had made a commitment. But Farooq sahib is in London and his health is not good. So we decided to support Azad sahib. PDP has fielded two illiterates as its candidates. What will they represent? That is why we wanted to send some candidate who can represent the state. Azad sahib is leader of opposition in RS and this is pride for our state,” he told KNS.
NC has finalised names of Sajad Ahmad Kichloo and Nasir Aslam Wani as NC candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls.
Insiders in the NC said both the candidates will submit their documents tomorrow. “The names were finalised by the party last night who will be submit their documents tomorrow,” one of the NC leader told KNS.
It needs to be mentioned here that both Wani and Kichloo lost the recent Assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad reached Jammu today. “Soon after he reached here he met CPI State Secretary Mohammad Yosuf Tarigami and PDF chief Hakeem Yaseen to seek their support,” sources said.
When contacted Tarigami said he met Azad in Jammu. “I can tell you that instead of supporting BJP I will prefer to support Azad,” he said.
Prof Soz said they have finalized the name of Azad and he will fill his nomination tomorrow. “We called a meeting of our MLAs in Jammu Where it was decided,” he said.