PDP should decide on whether to side with secular or communal forces: Congress

PDP has not made clear with which party it will form govt with

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday called People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mufti Mohammad Sayeed a seasoned leader and added that the former has to take the call on whether the government should be formed with secular or communal forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The call has to be taken by the PDP and decide if they want to go with secular or communal forces. PDP and BJP have been opposing each other tooth and nail in this election. Now PDP has to take the call," the Congress leader said.

"They have a very mature leadership; they know what is good and what is bad. I am not going to dictate them what to do. Mufti is a seasoned leader; he has to take the call in the interest of his own party and in the interest of secularism of the state," he added.

Earlier in the day, Sayeed emerged victorious from the Anantnag assembly constituency in Jammu and Kashmir.

A total of 18 constituencies spread over four districts- Srinagar, Shopian, Anantnag and Samba, voted in the penultimate phase of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections on December 14.

Out of the 87 constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP is leading in 25 seats, People's Democratic Party (PDP) in 27, National Conference (NC) in 17, Congress in 12, Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference (JKPC) in two, Independent in three and Communist Party of India (Marxist) in one.