Trouble-torn south Kashmir’s Anantnag Lok Sabha seat is emerging as a sticky point in the efforts of Congress and National Conference (NC) to stitch together a pre-poll alliance before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections for the six seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The talks between the NC and Congress are going on at the highest level. The final decision will be taken by Mr. Azad and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. We are expecting results in the next two days. The Congress believes it’s a strong contender in Kashmir valley’s two Lok Sabha seats, Anantnag and Baramulla,” Congress leader and MLC Ghulam Nabi Monga told The Hindu .
Sources close to the Congress party said the negotiations, headed by Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and NC vice president Omar Abdullah, failed to make a headway on Monday. Sources also added that Mr. Abdullah made it a precondition to contest all three seats in the Kashmir valley for the party’s support to the Congress in the two seats in Jammu and one in Ladakh.
Of J&K’s six Lok Sabha seats, three were won by the BJP and three by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2014 polls.
The Congress, Mr. Monga said, has to emerge stronger on the national level with numbers and cannot concede seats. “We have to look above party interests to counter the BJP at the national level,” Mr. Monga added.
Sources said State Congress president G.A. Mir has expressed confidence in winning the Anantnag seat, arguing “the PDP’s image has gone down because of its alliance with the BJP in their core constituencies and any boycott will only favour the Congress”.
On the contrary, NC’s Abdullah conveyed to the Congress the importance of winning the Anantnag seat “to make an impact in upcoming Assembly elections in the PDP bastion”.
Of 16 Assembly segments, the PDP had won 11 seats in the 2014 state Assembly elections. “The Anantnag seat is non-negotiable,” NC sources quoted Mr. Abdullah as saying.
Dr. Abdullah to contest from Srinagar constituency
Meanwhile, NC’s parliamentary board on Monday decided to field party president Dr. Farooq Abdullah from the Srinagar-Budgam constituency.
“The parliamentary board has decided to field Dr. Abdullah from Srinagar-Budgam constituency and Muhammad Akbar Lone from Baramulla constituency,” said the NC spokesman.
The party decided against naming any candidate for the Anantnag seat because of the ongoing talks with the Congress. “The parliamentary board members were unanimously of the opinion that the party should contest all six parliamentary constituencies. The board authorized the president to take the final decision on any coalition with secular forces taking into account the national political situation,” the spokesman said.
NC scuttling grand alliance in J&K: PDP
Meanwhile, senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar accused the NC of “scuttling any alliance shaping up in J&K against the BJP”.
“(NC president) Farooq Abdullah is ensuring there is no joint face against the BJP in the State. His all moves are aimed at blunting any grand alliance, which is desperately required to keep the BJP out and safeguard the special status of J&K,” Mr. Akhtar told The Hindu .
“NC has become a puppet and the strings are pulled by the people sitting in the power corridors of New Delhi. The theatrics is being done by the NC to stop joint resistance by the political groups in J&K,” he said.
Mr. Akhtar said it was ironic that Dr. Abdullah tried to promote a mahagathbandan (grand alliance) in other places “but is thwarting any such move in J&K”.
