Ex-DPAP Leaders Set to Rejoin Congress, Talks in Final Stages

Srinagar, 11th February 2025: Several leaders formerly or currently linked to Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) are on the verge of rejoining the Congress, with discussions reaching their final phase, according to party insiders familiar with the matter.

Among the prominent figures expected to return are former legislators Gulzar Wani and Amin Bhat, as well as former ministers Taj Mohi-ud-Din and Ghulam Mohammad Saroori. All four leaders faced defeat in last year’s assembly elections. While Wani and Bhat contested under the DPAP banner, Mohi-ud-Din and Saroori ran as independent candidates.

Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra confirmed that those distancing themselves from Azad’s party had been in contact with the Congress. He mentioned that discussions with the party’s high command were ongoing and that a decision would be made after evaluating each case. However, he noted that due to busy schedules on both sides, the final decision had been delayed.

Meanwhile, DPAP chairperson Ghulam Nabi Azad dismissed the impact of these defections, stating that some of these leaders had already left the party and contested elections independently. He reiterated that he had severed ties with Congress permanently and had no intention of returning.

Taj Mohi-ud-Din, who had served as DPAP’s treasurer before the assembly polls, had previously resigned from the party.

Before joining Azad’s party, all four leaders had been associated with the Congress. However, DPAP, which was established in 2022 to position itself as an alternative to regional parties like the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party, failed to gain electoral traction. The party contested 25 seats in last year’s assembly elections but failed to secure a single win, with most candidates losing their security deposits. Since then, DPAP has remained largely inactive, with some of its members claiming that Azad has lost enthusiasm for the party.

A senior Congress leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that once approval is received from the party’s high command, the returning leaders would be formally inducted. He emphasized that these leaders, who had initially left Congress to join Azad’s party, now recognized their move as a misstep.

Azad launched DPAP in September 2022, marking the end of his five-decade-long association with the Congress. Despite its ambitions, the party failed to gain significant ground, suffering consecutive electoral defeats, including a complete loss in the Lok Sabha elections before the assembly polls.