Srinagar, Apr 3 (PTI) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said he decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections only because he wanted to press for the complete restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood.

Addressing reporters here, he compared the bifurcation of the erstwhile state to "political lightning" that hit the region and said that his fight for the complete restoration of statehood needed to reach a logical conclusion.

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"While I have been selecting candidates to contest from other seats, I decided that I should also lead from the front. I am not the one who directs but likes to lead from the front," he said.

Azad, who formed the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) after parting ways with the Congress in 2022, said he would take up the issue of complete restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of the promise made in Parliament.

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He dismissed National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah's claim that he was an outsider in Anantnag and said, "This is absolutely baseless. This is my state and my country and I can contest from anywhere. When Omar Saheb was in school, I contested from Washim in Maharashtra and won from there."

He said Jammu and Kashmir needs thermal power stations to meet its electricity requirement and if he is elected to the Lok Sabha, he will ensure that the Union territory's power demands are met.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)