Mehbooba denies PDP’s exit from INDIA Bloc

SRINAGAR — People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti refuted rumours on Sunday that the PDP is opting out of the INDIA Bloc.

Speaking to the local news agency KNS, Mehbooba clarified that her absence from the recent INDIA Bloc meeting in New Delhi was due to her mother’s eye surgery.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the INDIA Bloc allocated five seats in Jammu and Kashmir: two to the Congress in Jammu and three to the National Conference (NC) in the Kashmir Valley. The PDP, being part of the INDI alliance, ran separately in the race.

During the elections, the Congress actively campaigned for the National Conference but was notably absent from the PDP’s roadshows and rallies, despite the PDP being part of the same alliance.

On Saturday, exit polls by several national TV channels showed the PDP winning one seat in the Kashmir Valley separately from the INDIA Bloc, sparking rumours of the party’s exit from the alliance.

However, Mehbooba Mufti dismissed these rumours and reaffirmed the PDP’s commitment to the INDIA Bloc.