Ahead of Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, the Congress and the National Conference announced pre-poll alliance on Thursday. It was announced soon after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge met NC chief Farooq Abdullah. After the meeting was over, Farooq said that the Congress-NC will fight on all 90 seats in the assembly polls.
Prior to the meeting, Rahul Gandhi told reporters that there will be an alliance (for the assembly elections) but it will be done while maintaining the respect of the workers of the Congress party.
"There will be an alliance (for the assembly elections) but it will be while maintaining the respect of the workers of the Congress party," Rahul Gandhi told reporters.
Immediately after an interaction with party workers, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge drove to the residence of NC president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah at the Gupkar Road in Srinagar.
Rahul Gandhi said, "It is our priority in the Congress Party and also in the INDIA alliance to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible. We had expected that this would be done prior to the elections but elections have been declared. It is a step forward and we are hoping that statehood would be restored as soon as possible and the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, democratic rights will be restored to them. This is the first time since independence that a state has become union territories. This has never happened before. Union territories have become states but it is the first time that State has become Union Territory. So, we are very clear in our national manifesto as well that it is a priority for us that the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh get their democratic rights back...My message to the people of Jammu and Kashmir is, however we can help you, the Congress Party is always there. We understand that you're going through a very difficult period, a tough period, and we want to remove violence..."
A Congress party leader said the visiting leaders are meeting the Abdullahs to discuss a possible pre-poll alliance for the assembly polls. The leader added that the two parties have been holding deliberations at the local level for the alliance.
According to an NC leader, the parties have had three rounds of discussions over the shape of the alliance and seat-sharing between them.
"The discussions were held in a cordial manner and we are hopeful of an alliance," the NC leader said. He, however, said any decision on forging the pre-poll alliance will be taken by the leadership of both the parties.
The two parties had contested the Lok Sabha polls together as part of the INDIA Bloc with the Congress losing both the seats in Jammu, while NC lost one of the three it contested in the Kashmir valley.
Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases -- September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will be held on October 4.
