Want to serve people of Jammu and Kashmir: Sajjad Gani Lone

SRINAGAR: People’s Conference leader Sajjad Gani Lone on Tuesday expressed his desire to serve the people of Jammu and Kashmir if his party wins considerable number of seats as the counting of votes began this morning amid unprecedented security.
Talking to reporters, People’s Conference leader said, “ I am very nervous. It is my first assembly election.”“However, I would like to add that I want to serve the people of my state if we win some amount of seats this time,” he added.
Sajjad Gani Lone further said that his party would like to contribute to the news government irrespective of which party or faction leads it.
Lone, however, said that he would not hesitate to sit in the Opposition if his side fails to do well in the assembly polls.“We have not decided anything as yet. We will also be happy to sit in Opposition, I’d love to sit in the Opposition,” Lone said.
Replying to a question on post-poll tie up with the BJP, Lone said, “The thought of joining hands with BJP has not crossed my mind.”
The remarks from Lone came shortly after early trends showed him making comfortable gains in Handwara assembly seat in Jammu and Kashmir.The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was ahead in Jammu and Kashmir in the early morning trends followed closely by the BJP as officials counted votes polled in the five-phase assembly elections.
Candidates of the PDP led by Mufti Mohammed Saeed surged ahead in 30 of the 73 seats where early trends were available, officials said. The state assembly has 87 seats.A total of 48.29 lakh votes are to be counted.
The BJP was ahead in 23 seats. The Congress led in six seats and the ruling National Conference in 13. One seat appeared to be going the way of a smaller party.Most exit polls have predicted a hung assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, the country’s only Muslim-majority state.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh said: “This will be a turning point for BJP and for Jammu and Kashmir politics.”PDP leader and former chief minister Saeed was on the winning track in Anantnag.So was Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Sonawar and Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand in Chhamb.