Demand for early polls in J&K

SRINAGAR: Prominent leaders of the Congress and 12 J&K legislators will be meeting in Srinagar on Tuesday to devise the party's strategy after the state came under governor’s rule last month.

The meeting of the Congress will be headed by former J&K chief minister and leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Congress leaders said that though the meeting is scheduled to be held at the Congress party office at Maulana Azad Road, there is a possibility that the venue of the meeting could be shifted.

The party has called all the 12 legislators to Srinagar.

“Yes, it is going to be an important meeting headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad. This meeting will be important to devise the strategy of the party especially after the governor’s rule,’’ said legislator and vice president J&K Congress Ghulam Nabi Monga. “Besides, Congress legislators from all three regions of the state, some senior leaders will also attend this meeting,’’ he said.

In New Delhi, the Congress party’s policy-planning group met to discuss the prevailing political situation in the state.

Chaired by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the meeting was attended by former Union ministers P Chidambaram and Ghulam Nabi Azad, state Congress chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir and former Lok Sabha member Tariq Hameed Karra.

After the meeting, the Congress ruled out the possibility of supporting the PDP for forming an alternate government in the state and insisted that it wanted early elections.

Congress general secretary in-charge of J&K Ambika Soni told reporters that the party will prepare for fresh elections on the basis of its programmes.

“We want early elections in state. The roadmap of the election will be discussed in Srinagar on Tuesday. We need to strengthen our party first,” she said.