Gear up for assembly polls after delimitation exercise in JK: Azad to parties

Jammu: Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday asked the political parties including own party cadre to gear up for elections after the delimitation exercise on Jammu and Kashmir.Azad arrived here on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.“
At present there are no signs of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, but preparations are on for the delimitation exercise,” Azad told reporters on his arrival here. He said, “all political parties, including the Congress, should get ready for the assembly elections, which can be announced anytime after the delimitation exercise.” He slammed the government on the Pegasus issue, asserting, “this is a debatable matter and members in the Parliament are already demanding a threadbare discussion.” He said that during his stay, he will be meeting people from all parties, including Congress, whosoever wants to meet him and will listen to the grievances of the people. The former Chief Minister hoped that the governments would take care of the floods affected people in their respective states. Expressing grief over the loss caused by the recent floods in the neighboring states including Jammu and Kashmir, Azad said, “due to floods, a lot of damage has been reported not only in Jammu and Kashmir but also in Himachal and other hilly states.” “We hope the states which have suffered losses, their governments will take care of the affected people,” he expressed.