People’s Conference president Sajad Gani Lone is likely to fight from two assembly segments of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir. According to reports, in addition to the Handwara seat, where the party has controlled the National Conference for more than ten years, the party's rank and file reportedly want Lone to run from the Kupwara assembly sector.
With a 5,423-vote margin, PC leader Sajad Gani Lone was victorious in the 2014 Assembly elections for the Handwara seat. With 29,355 votes, he won. PC defeated NC with an 8085-vote margin in the 2019 LS poll. With an astounding lead of over 7000 votes from the Handwara seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, PC pushed NC down to the third spot.
Reports suggest that Sajad Lone is under pressure from the party workers to fight for the Kupwara assembly seat also. Considering the current Lok Sabha election voting patterns, Lone's joining the electoral fray will likely result in a straight fight for the Kupwara seat between him and the National Conference.
(Inputs from agencies)
