Blow to Gupkar alliance, Sajad Lone's party quits

Nearly a month after winning a majority in the local body polls, the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration or PAGD in Jammu and Kashmir suffered a major blow Tuesday after People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone moved out of the multi-party amalgam. In a letter to PAGD head and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah Lone said PAGD won these elections having won the maximum number of seats and other important statistical variable in the context of Abrogation of Article 370 is the number of votes polled against the PAGD. Lone was part of the alliance of Opposition parties in the Valley, which included the People’s Democratic Party, National Conference and CPM with Congress giving outside support. He was the spokesperson for the alliance.