PDP announces 3-member election board

Ahead of its scheduled membership drive to "rejuvenate" the party and expand its base in Jammu and Kashmir, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today announced constitution of a three-member election board with senior leader Abdul Rehman Veeri as its chairman.

"PDP President Mehbooba Mufti has constituted party's election board with senior leader Abdul Rehman Veeri as its chairman and Dhaman Bhasin and Flail Singh its members," the party said in a statement here.

The constitution of the election board comes barely a day after the party announced a membership drive from February 21.

"The beginning is being made through a workers convention proposed to be held on February 21 at party headquarters in Srinagar which will be attended by the party president Mehbooba Mufti and other senior leaders including general secretaries, chief spokesman, political advisor to party president and others," the PDP said yesterday.

The move comes more than a month after Sayeed's sudden demise on January 7 and the virtual freeze on party activities subsequently.

The development also comes at a time when the party, which ran a coalition government with BJP for 10 months before Sayeed's death, is negotiating hard with the ally before forming the new government in the state.