Ahead of the coming Assembly election, senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi met National Conference (NC) president Dr. Farooq Abdullah and vice-president Omar Abdullah in Srinagar on Thursday and announced the decision to forge a pre-poll alliance in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The alliance is on track. It will work successfully. CPI(M)‘s M.Y. Tarigami is also part of it. Seat-sharing has been finalised. It is for all 90 seats of J&K. People of J&K suffered immensely in the absence of an elected government for many years. We expect Statehood with all powers to be restored. We will fight for it,” Dr. Abdullah said, after meeting the Congress leaders at his residence here.
Dr. Abdullah said the meeting with the Congress leaders was “held in a cordial manner”. He, however, dropped broad hints about the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), once an ally of the NC in the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), not being part of the electoral alliance.
Mr. Kharge and Mr. Gandhi met the Abdullahs at their residence to formalise the pre-poll alliance. The two parties have been having discussions on seat-sharing for the past few days. Both the allies have been bargaining hard for the maximum share from the 47 seats of the Kashmir valley, out of 90 seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The J&K coalition will take place for sure. But there won’t be a coalition at the cost of Congress workers and leaders’ interest,” Mr. Gandhi said, while addressing party workers in Srinagar.
Congress’s priorities
Spelling out the priorities of the Congress, Mr. Gandhi said the party is firm on the call for “restoration of Statehood to J&K as soon as possible”.
“We had expected Statehood would be done prior to the elections. This is the first time since Independence that a State has become a Union Territory. So, we are very clear in our national manifesto as well that it is a priority for us that the people of J&K, and Ladakh get their democratic rights back,” Mr. Gandhi said.
In his speech, Mr. Kharge assured people of J&K that the Congress would “take them out of the mess if they voted for the party”. “The Congress expects at least 40 to 45 seats in the upcoming polls. The Congress will fight for your land, forests and other rights,” Mr. Kharge said.
Urging local people to stand by Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Kharge said, “Rahul Gandhi was related to J&K by blood. We hope J&K will stand with us in the upcoming elections.. The BJP’s anger and frustration are always targeted at the Congress. The only person who dares to fight is Rahul Gandhi. We need your votes to save the country, to save your culture and rights.”
The Assembly election. the first to be held since the revocation of Article 370, will be held in three phases — September 18, September 25, and October 1.
Published - August 22, 2024 07:13 pm IST
