The party argued that it has decided to contest the polls as a boycott will help ‘some political parties’ trying to subvert the people's right to choose their representatives.

"If PDP stays away from the elections, we are going to facilitate the agenda of these parties of undermining the people's authority to elect their representatives. It is a challenge for our party and we accept it," PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said.

She also released the PDP manifesto, which was largely similar to ‘self-rule’ document released by it on October 25.

The PDP decision comes 10 days after the Election Commission announced seven-phase poll schedule for the state beginning November 17 and amidst some leaders of the party favouring an election boycott in view of the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley.

She said her party had voiced its concerns about holding polls in the state in the prevailing circumstances as there was anger and distress among the people about the killings in the Valley during the recent agitation.

"While an initiative was taken by the Centre about the agitation in Jammu, we expected something similar to be done in the valley as well. An order of an elected government was revoked to defuse the situation in Jammu," she said.