Mass Resignations Shake PDP Ahead of J&K Assembly Polls

PDP chief spokesperson Suhail Bukhari and DDC member from Tral Harbaksh Singh have resigned from the party ahead of the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. Bukhari is discontented over not receiving a ticket to contest from Wagoora-Kreeri, while Singh was upset over organizational decisions. Both leaders voiced frustrations over internal party dynamics.

PDP chief spokesperson Suhail Bukhari quit the party on Tuesday, ahead of the Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

Bukhari expressed discontentment at not being given a mandate to contest the elections from Wagoora-Kreeri following the return of former minister Basharat Bukhari to the PDP last month, which diminished his chances.

Bukhari, a close aide of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and former media consultant to her during her chief ministership, joined the party in 2019 after the fall of the PDP-BJP government and expressed pride in strengthening the party over the past five years.

However, he lamented that loyal party members, including himself, were being sidelined in favor of new leaders, making it difficult to continue his role. He announced his resignation as chief spokesperson and party member.

Meanwhile, another PDP leader, DDC member from Tral Harbaksh Singh, also quit the party, voicing similar frustrations after the inclusion of Rafiq Ahmed Naik, son of former National Conference minister and MP Ali Mohammad Naik, who is set to get the PDP ticket from Tral.

Singh, who will join the Awami Ittehad Party led by imprisoned MP Sheikh Abdul Rasheed, expressed dissatisfaction over not being consulted on significant party decisions concerning the Tral seat despite his 14 years of commitment to the PDP.