Ghulam Nabi Azad to address rally in Jammu today, likely to announce his party

Ghulam Nabi Azad is likely to announce the formation of his new party in the rally at Jammu. The former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister last week said he will launch a new party soon. The first unit, he said, will be in Jammu and Kashmir where polls are due.

The stage is prepared for Ghulam Nabi Azad, a former Congress leader who broke his five-decade affiliation with the grand old party, to launch his new political career. For him and his followers in Jammu, where Azad is poised to start his own political party, today is D-day.

The planning for Azad's first public protest as a non-Congression member is well underway. According to former minister G M Saroori, Azad would receive a red carpet greeting upon his arrival in Jammu from Delhi this morning. He would also be escorted in a parade to the rally site in Sainik Colony.

Saroori is one of the well-known figures that left the Congress following Azad's very dramatic departure from the organisation as a result of his explosive five-page letter accusing Rahul Gandhi of "demolishing" the party. According to reports, the 73-year-old Azad is anticipated to make the much anticipated announcement of the foundation of his own political party at this momentous occasion.

Huge hoardings and posters greeting Azad have been displayed along the road that runs across the airport in Jammu. More than 20,000 people can find seats at the main venue, according to PTI. At the public gathering, "all those who resigned in favour of Azad will be there," Saroori told PTI.

Additionally, he informed that more than 3,000 Azad followers from various social groups have indicated a wish to stand alongside him during the public gathering.

Prior to the next Assembly elections, which are anticipated to be held on November 25 following the conclusion of the ongoing process of special summary revision of the electoral records, he said that the Azad-led party will be a reality on the political landscape of Jammu and Kashmir.  The party led by Azad will have the option to tie up with the BJP or mainstream parties in Jammu and Kashmir such as National Conference or PDP. 

On August 26, Azad announced his resignation from the Congress, a party he had been a part of for more than five decades, calling it "comprehensively wrecked." Since Azad's departure, a number of the party's senior executives and leaders have left the organisation while pledging to continue supporting Azad. As a result of his departure, 60 leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir Congress left the party.