The Democratic Progressive Azad Party (abbr.DPAP) formerly Democratic Azad Party[1][2] is an Indian political party formed by Ghulam Nabi Azad on 26 September 2022 in Jammu and Kashmir.[3][4] The party's top three agendas in Jammu and Kashmir are restoration of full statehood, right to land and employment to native domiciles.[5] The party's ideology is based on the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.[6]
The name of the Democratic Azad Party was announced by Ghulam Nabi Azad on 26 September 2022. He received almost 1,500 names in Sanskrit, Hindi, and Urdu as suggestion for name of the party. He preferred this one since it contains a Hindustani term.[6] On 18 November 2022, Election Commission of India rejected the name and asked Azad to change it.[7] In December 2022, the final name of the Democratic Azad Party was changed to Democratic Progressive Azad Party.[2]
On 26 August 2022, Azad announced his resignation from the Congress Party in a public letter after launching a scathing attack on the top leadership, particularly Rahul Gandhi.[3] After the resignation of Azad, J&K's Congress including former ministers R.S. Chib, Ghulam Mohammad Saroori and Abdul Rashid; former MLAs Mohammad Amin Bhat, Gulzar Ahmad Wani and Choudhary Mohammad Akram; former MLC Naresh Gupta and party leader Salman Nizami resigned from the basic membership of the Congress party in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad.[8][9]
In response to Azad's resignation, the Congress initially questioned the timing of his decision before launching a vicious counterattack and accusing that he was working closely with the BJP. Azad received criticism from a number of Congress officials, including the party's two chief ministers, Ashok Gehlot and Bhupesh Baghel.[10]
On 29 August 2022, four politicians from Congress, including former deputy speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Gulam Hyder Malik, two MLCs viz. Subash Gupta from Kathua and Sham Lal Bhagat from Doda, General secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress Maheshwar Singh Manhas, and 12 workers of the Apni Party from Doda, including its district president Asgar Hussain Khanday, District general secretary Virender Kumar Sharma, and district vice-president (women's wing) Promila Sharma also resigned from their respective political parties in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad.[11]
On 30 August 2022, former deputy chief of Jammu and Kashmir Tara Chand, along with former ministers Abdul Majid Wani, Manohar Lal Sharma, Gharu Ram Bhagat, and Balwan Singh, among 64 others, jointly resigned from the Congress party.[12]
On 31 August 2022, 42 more politicians from Congress party resigned from their basic membership of Congress to join Azad's new political party.[13]
On 1 September 2022, more than 36 Congress leaders—including Anirudh Raina, State Vice President NSUI and Manik Sharma, General Secretary of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the party's student wing—from several universities in Jammu submitted their resignations in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad.[14]
On 2 September 2022, Congress leader Rajinder Prasad from Rajouri resigned in favour of Azad after criticising Congress party's functioning.[15]
On 4 September 2022, Azad announced the formation of a new political party after resigning from Congress. He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir will decide the name and the flag for the new party.[16]
On 26 September 2022, Azad launched his party as Democratic Azad Party.[17]
On 22 December 2022, Azad expelled three leaders from party including Tara Chand, Dr. Manohar Lal and Balwan Singh for 'anti-party' activities.[18]
Flag
The DAP's flag is made up of the colours mustard, white, and dark blue. White denotes peace, blue denotes freedom, wide space, imagination, and limits from the depths of the ocean to the heights of the sky, according to Azad, while mustard denotes creativity and unity in variety.[19]
The Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in Indian-administered Kashmir's union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Founded as the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas in 1932 in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the organisation renamed itself to "National Conference" in 1939 in order to represent all the people of the state. It supported the accession of the princely state to India in 1947. Prior to that, in 1941, a group led by Ghulam Abbas broke off from the National Conference and revived the old Muslim Conference. The revived Muslim Conference supported the accession of the princely state to Pakistan and led the movement for Azad Kashmir.
Ghulam Nabi Azad is an Indian politician who served as Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha between 2014 and 2021. He also served as the Chief Minister of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2005 to 2008. On 26 September 2022, Azad announced his own political party as Democratic Progressive Azad Party. He is the chief patron cum founder of Democratic Progressive Azad Party.
The University of Jammu informally known as Jammu University (JU), accredited as A+ grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), was established in 1969 by an act of the state legislature which effectively split the Jammu and Kashmir University into the separate University of Jammu and University of Kashmir.
Tara Chand is a politician and Dalit leader from Jammu and Kashmir. He was Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir from 2009 to 2014. He had earlier served as the Speaker of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. On 30 August 2022, he resigned from Indian National Congress in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad. He was appointed as Vice chairperson for Democratic Azad Party. On 22 December 2022, he was removed from Democratic Azad Party after the allegations of 'anti-party'activities.
Fairoz Khan is an activist and former president of the National Students' Union of India. On 11 April 2022, Fairoz Khan has been appointed as Working President of Pradesh Youth Congress J&K.
The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election, 2014 was held in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in five phases from 25 November – 20 December 2014. Voters elected 87 members to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, which ends its six-year term on 19 January 2020. The results were declared on 23 December 2014. Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) along with EVMs were used in 3 assembly seats out of 87 in Jammu Kashmir elections.
Elections for the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir were held in September -October 2002 in four phases.
Pandit Mangat Ram Sharma was an Indian politician and Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir as well as speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly. He was a leader of the Indian National Congress.
Ghulam Nabi Lone (Hanjura) is an Indian politician and former cabinet minister of Jammu and Kashmir, belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party. An Advocate by profession, Lone was part of the 12th Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from Charari Sharief constituency.
Aijaz Ahmad Khan popularly known as Aijaz Saab or Sher-e-Gool Gulabgarh is an Indian politician and was a member of the 10th, 11th and 12th Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from Gool Arnas constituency. He served as Minister of various portfolios from 2002 to 2014 in Jammu and Kashmir Govt under the Chief Ministership of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Omar Abdullah. He also served as Deputy Leader of Congress Legislative Party from 2014 to 2018 He left Congress and became founding member of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) formed on 8 March 2020. He is also currently the Vice President of Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party. He is also the Vice President of PAC and member CWC of jammu kashmir apni party.
Gharu Ram Bhagat is an Indian politician from Jammu and Kashmir and member of Democratic Azad Party. Bhagat was a member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from the Ranbir Singhpura constituency in Jammu district. He was affiliated with Bhartiya Janata Party until 2016. In 2016, he joined Indian National Congress. On 30 August 2022, he resigned from Congress in support of Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Abdul Gani Vakil is an Indian politician and vice-chairman of Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference. He has served the state as Minister for Social Welfare.
Ghulam Mohammad Saroori, also known as G. M. Saroori, is an Indian politician and the former legislator of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, who represented Inderwal constituency of Kishtwar district from 2002 to 2018 until the coalition government was ended in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Janak Raj Gupta (1936–2015) was an Indian politician, lawyer and social worker. He was a congress leader and a Member of parliament (MP) from Jammu Poonch Assembly Constituency for a record of two times.
Peer Mohammed Hussain Soharvardi better known as Sher–e–Kuthar among his followers is a Kashmiri politician and former Minister of State in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He served as Member of Legislative Assembly (2002-2008) after being elected from the Shangus assembly constituency. He, subsequently, also served as Vice Chairman of the J&K Muslim Wakf Board.
Vikar Rasool Wani is an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He represented Banihal Assembly constituency in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He is currently serving as the President of Jammu Kashmir PCC.
Taj Mohiuddin is a politician from Jammu and Kashmir and member of Democratic Azad Party. On 3 October 2022, Din was appointed as Treasurer for Democratic Azad Party. Din was the member of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from Uri Assembly constituency during 2002-2008 and 2008-2014 as Indian National Congress candidate.
Rajinder Singh Chib is an Indian politician and former Indian Air Force officer. He is a member of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party. Chib served as Cabinet Minister of Health, Tourism, Medical Education and Environment in the Jammu and Kashmir cabinet from 1986 to 1990 and was reappointed as cabinet Minister of Technical Education, Medical Education and Youth Affairs and Sports from 2009 to 2014. On 3 October 2022, Chib was appointed as General Secretary for Democratic Azad Party.
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