KULGHAM, India: With Occupied Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections imminent, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has strongly criticized the BJP government, accusing it of misleading claims about improvements in the region’s situation while neglecting to hold elections for a decade.
Speaking in Kulgam, Mufti highlighted the frustration and suffocation felt by the local population due to the prolonged absence of electoral representation.
Mufti, who leads the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), criticized Prime Minister Modi’s unfulfilled promises, including job creation and financial incentives. She promised that the PDP would focus on addressing local issues, such as unemployment, by pledging to provide 100,000 government jobs and regularize 60,000 existing positions.
The Occupied Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, with its 90 seats—47 in the Valley and 43 in Jammu—will hold elections in three phases: September 18, September 25, and October 1. Results are expected on October 8. The electorate includes 8.7 million voters, with significant numbers of women and young voters.
