Banihal/Dec, 24 : A leader of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Banihal Bashir Ahmad Runyal has resigned from the basic membership of the party and announced his decision to contest the forthcoming assembly elections as an idependent candidate. A BJP leader of the Banihal area Showkat Javaid Daing has also joined hands with Runyal after the resigning from the basic membership of BJP. Daing as BJP candidate had bagged 10,000 votes as a BJP candidate in last assembly elections in 2014.
Runyal, a former IAS officer who was Ramban district president and state secretary of the PDP, had joined the party before 2014 assembly polls after his retirement and had unsuccessfully contested the elections from Banihal constituency.
“I have tendered my resignation from the basic membership of the party and I am fighting the upcoming assembly elections as an independent candidate,” he told reporters here.
Runyal was accompanied by BJP leader Showkat Javaid Daing who also announced his resignation from the basic membership of the saffron party.
“We have decided to join hands in the larger interest of the development of our area which was ignored by the previous PDP-BJP government,” he said.
Daing had also unsuccessfully contested the last assembly elections on BJP ticket from Banihal constituency which was won by Congress candidate Vikar Rasool Wani.
The BJP candidate had got over 10,000 votes. Runyal said personally he had nothing against the party leadership, but his decision to leave the PDP was under pressure from workers and the public who felt let down by the previous government.
