Srinagar, April 30 : Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday said that the time has come for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and it is undemocratic to deprive the people of an elected government for a long time. The former Union minister said that DPAP is a party that believes in democratic values and will ensure that various pro-people initiatives are launched to benefit the weaker sections of people in our society if elected to power. "If the DPAP is elected to power we will ensure the poor are provided free electricity and other benefits so that they won't face burden on their budget. We will also work to create diverse economic opportunities in various sectors including tourism, agriculture and horticulture so that the economy of common people improves," he said while addressing a public gathering at Bandipora. Azad said that when he was the Chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, he granted the district status to Bandipora, opened hospitals, colleges and set up a long network of roads to benefit the people. However, it has been a long time since then and the development in the district seems at a halt now and successive governments have overlooked the growing infrastructural requirements of the district, he said. Azad said that unlike other people, he would not make false promises and keep people in the dark. "I will make promises and will deliver on them unlike most of the politicians who visit you and make a number of promises never to deliver," he said. /IANS