Jammu and Kashmir elections: In a significant political development, the National Conference and Congress decided to enter an alliance for 90 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir, which is going for its maiden assembly polls on September 18 after being reorganised into a Union Territory. In the first phase, of the 24 seats, 16 are in Kashmir and 8 in Jammu region.
The voting will be held on 24 seats in the first phase on September 18. In this, National Conference will contest 13 seats, Congress on 10 and CPIM on 1 seat, sources said. The announcement follows a meeting between Abdullah, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the National Conference chief's residence.
Among the 12 guarantees listed in the National Conference's manifesto are the restoration of Article 370, the reinstatement of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, and the implementation of the autonomy resolution passed by the erstwhile assembly in 2000. In a show of support, senior CPI(M) leader Tarigami welcomed the announcement of the National Conference-Congress alliance, emphasising that it was a necessary step for the region's political landscape. He said the pre-poll alliance was a welcome development and was much needed, keeping in view the present situation and the challenges faced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 and the downgrading and dividing the erstwhile state into two Union territories.
Restoration of statehood Congress, INDIA bloc's priority: Rahul Gandhi
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi sought to strike an emotional chord with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and assured that the restoration of statehood was a priority for the Congress party as well as the opposition's INDIA bloc. The former Congress president also said it is his party's aim that the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh get their democratic rights back. As Gandhi concluded the Srinagar leg of his visit, he stitched up an alliance with Jammu and Kashmir's oldest regional party — the National Conference (NC) — holding consultations with the NC president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah at their residence.
