After ECI’s objections to party name, Azad sends four names to poll-body for approval

Srinagar, Nov 18 : With the Election Commission of India raising objections on the name proposed by him for his political party, former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has sent four new names to the poll-body for approval.

Salman Nizami, a close confidante of Ghulam Nabi Azad confirmed to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that ECI has made objections over the name proposed for the party. “We have been informed that a party with a similar name in Uttar Pradesh is already registered with the ECI,” he said.

Azad had proposed to register the party with the ECI by the name of “Democratic Azad Party”.

Nizami said that name of the party has not been finalized yet.

“We will announce the name of the party only after getting approval from ECI,” he said.

Nizami said words “Azad”and “Party” will remain in the name, but only Democratic or National Democratic or Progressive or National Progressive will be suffixed or prefixed to them.

He said they have priotised “National Democratic Azad Party” as name of the party, but it is not the final name.

On September 26, Azad along with senior party leaders announced the name of his party as “Democratic Azad Party”.

The party was formed by Azad nearly a month after parting ways with the Congress with which he remained associated for 50 years. After his resignation from AICC, several other Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, mostly former ministers and legislators, also joined Azad-led party. But no major leader from other political parties joined Azad-led party.

It is worthwhile to mention that more than 40 J&K-based political parties are registered with the ECI. National Conference, Peoples Conference were registered with the poll- body before 1987. Jamaat-e-Islamia, which was banned by the Central Government in 2019, was also participating in the electoral process till 1987. Peoples Democratic Party came into existence in 1999—(KNO)