PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Saturday that her party would support the NC-Congress alliance if they agreed to her party’s agenda.
Speaking while releasing the party's manifesto, she said that the PDP wouldn't compete for seats but would back the alliance if it supported their goals, including resolving the Kashmir issue.
“Power and seats are not important to the PDP,” she said. “We will offer support if our agenda is accepted.”
She also ruled out any post-election alliance with the BJP, saying that their past alliance with the saffron party was to protect J&K's identity, but such an alliance is no longer possible.
The PDP manifesto promises to open traditional routes linking Kashmir with the outside world, provide 200 units of free electricity, advance the resolution of the Kashmir issue, and initiate dialogue if the PDP comes to power.
The PDP wanted to be part of the alliance that the NC and Congress forged against the BJP. However, the NC opposed the inclusion of the PDP and instead accommodated the CPI(M) and the Jammu-based JK National Panthers Party (JKNPP).
The PDP, which emerged as a formidable alternative to the NC after its 2002 assembly victory, has faced significant setbacks after the abrogation of Article 370. Several leaders and workers joined the JKAP, weakening the PDP's influence, especially in its strongholds in south Kashmir—Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, and Kulgam.
The party’s troubles began with its coalition government with the BJP after the 2014 assembly elections, which alienated its supporters. The party’s reputation further suffered during the 2016 unrest following the death of militant commander Burhan Wani.
In the Lok Sabha polls, the party led in only five assembly segments and lost both the Anantnag-Rajouri and Srinagar Lok Sabha seats to the NC. The party managed slightly more than 8 per cent of the vote.
After the announcement of assembly polls, several of its members and leaders quit after failing to get the mandate.
Mufti has vowed not to contest the assembly elections unless statehood is restored in Jammu and Kashmir. However, she has fielded her daughter Iltija Mufti from Bijbehra in Anantnag, a PDP stronghold.
