Two former legislators have returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) five years after they left the party following the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status in 2019. Peerzada Mansoor Ahmad and Yasir Reshi rejoined the party Sunday in presence of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti at Srinagar. The return of the two legislators is significant for the party that has performed its worst during the recent assembly election since its inception in 1999. "I’m happy that I am back in my home," Mansoor told The Indian Express. "I was born into the PDP and was there when the party was named the PDP. But then, there was an earthquake that snatched everything from us. When a big tree falls, the earth shakes and the things scatter.” Mansoor, who represented south Kashmir's Shangus assembly segment in 2014, was also the political advisor to then chief minister Mehbooba Mufti before he joined a mass of leaders leaving the party in 2019. On its part, the PDP had blamed the Centre for the disintegration of the party, even claiming that several leaders had been “pressured” to move out. After leaving the PDP, Mansoor had briefly joined the Sajad Lone-led Peoples Conference. He had unsuccessfully contested the October assembly election from Shangus as an independent candidate. Mansoor and Reshi have returned to the party months after it gave its worst performance since it was first founded in 1999. "The party needs us more now," Mansoor said. "When PDP was founded, I was among those who made it brick by brick. We have to rebuild it now to revive it and I am here". He said there is "no alternative to the PDP that was formed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed". Reshi, who lost the recent assembly election as an Awami Ittehad Party (AIP) candidate also returned to PDP. Reshi, who left the party after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, also joined Sajad Lone's Peoples Conference before deciding to be part of Engineer Rashid's AIP during the 2024 assembly polls. In 2014, Reshi lost the assembly elections from the Sonawari assembly segment by a slim margin against National Conference's Mohammad Akbar Lone. Reshi, however, was rewarded for his performance and elected to the upper house of the J&K assembly.
