Srinagar: The Congress and National Conference have reached an agreement to divide Jammu and Kashmir’s 90 Assembly seats ahead of next month’s election, top officials from both parties announced Monday evening, bringing discussions to a successful conclusion hours before the deadline for filing nominations in the first round.
The NC will contest the plurality of seats (51), while the Congress will contest 32, according to Tariq Hameed Karra, the latter’s J&K unit leader, with two seats reserved for the CPIM and Panthers Party.
KEEP READING:
French police arrest synagogue blast suspect
Russian lawmakers hit back at arrest of Telegram chief Pavel Durov in France
Biden, Trump associates targeted by Iranian hackers on WhatsApp, Meta says
Significantly, there would be a “friendly but disciplined contest” on five seats, implying that problems between the two parties – both of whom are members of the INDIA opposition alliance – have not been totally resolved, despite the Congress sending two senior officials to Srinagar this morning.
In the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly elections, Tariq Hameed Karra, the state Congress chairman, stated that the National Conference will fight 51 seats and the Congress will compete 32. The two parties have decided to work together in a cordial but disciplined manner. pic.twitter.com/mopbnTsArS
This will be the first Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade; the 2019 election was cancelled after the central repealed Articles 370 and 35A and divided the state into two union territories.
“It is a source of immense joy… We launched this fight together against forces attempting to separate people here. The INDIA alliance was created to combat forces that seek to communalize, divide, and fracture the country,” NC leader and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah told the press.
This will be the first Assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir in a decade; the 2019 election was cancelled after the central repealed Articles 370 and 35A and divided the state into two union territories.
“It is a source of immense joy… We launched this fight together against forces attempting to separate people here. The INDIA alliance was created to combat forces that seek to communalize, divide, and fracture the country,” NC leader and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah told the press.
Earlier today, sources informed NDTV that the NC has promised the Congress only five seats in the Kashmir Valley and 28 to 30 in the Jammu area. However, the national party was holding out for more, particularly in places seen as strongholds by its ally.
It was already announced that the Congress and NC will fight this election jointly.
“We had a terrific meeting in a friendly setting. The partnership is on pace, and God willing, it will run well. The partnership is finalized. It will be inked this evening, and the coalition will be represented in all 90 seats,” Farooq Abdullah stated after meeting with Mr Gandhi.
NC leader Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah’s son and a former Chief Minister, also said last week that a wide agreement had been achieved. “A significant level of consensus has been obtained…”I can tell you that we have reached an agreement on the maximum number of seats out of 90,” he informed the journalists.
However, when it appeared that seat-sharing discussions were faltering, the Congress despatched Mr Venugopal and Salman Khurshid to restart them. They met Omar Abdullah this morning.
[…] National Conference, Congress Crack Jammu And Kashmir Seat-Sharing Deal […]