Congress’s Alka Lamba J&K election announcement as people’s win

Srinagar, Aug 17 (PTI) Congress leader Alka Lamba Saturday described the announcement of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as the victory of democracy and kick-started the party’s campaign for the polls.

“It is a victory of democracy. It is a victory of the people of J-K. After a long wait of ten years, democracy is being restored here,” Lamba, the All India Mahila Congress chief, told PTI Videos here.

Lamba will attend a programme of the party’s women wing in south Kashmir’s Anantnag on Sunday.

She said people in J-K will get to choose their own representatives to form the government, and expressed hope that her party will get the majority. She said that the Mahila Congress started its campaign from today.

“We will try our best that issues like unemployment, inflation and poverty will be addressed. We are hopeful that we will form government here with full majority,” she added.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit Kashmir for campaigning in September, she said.

Asked whether the party will enter into an alliance for the polls, the Congress leader said discussions are already on and the party will soon take a decision on alliance and the seat sharing.

On change of leadership, Lamba said the top leadership in New Delhi had a discussion with J&K leaders which resulted in the change of roles here.

The party had on Friday appointed Tariq Hameed Qarra as the JKPCC president, replacing Vaqar Rasool Wani.