Congress, National Conference reach seat-sharing agreement in Jammu and Kashmir
A "friendly but disciplined contest" will take place on five seats, while the NC will contest 51 seats and the Congress will contest 32.
Kashmir:
As of Monday evening, senior leaders of the Congress and National Conference announced they had reached a deal to share the 90 Assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of next month's election, hours before the first phase nominations deadline.
A total of 51 seats will be contested by the NC, and 32 by the Congress, the latter's J&K unit chief, Tariq Hameed Karra, told reporters. Two seats will be left for the CPIM and Panthers Party.
Significantly, there will be a "friendly but disciplined contest" on five seats, which suggests that differences between the two parties - both of whom are part of the INDIA opposition bloc - are not yet fully ironed out, even after the Congress rushed two senior leaders to Srinagar this morning.
The 2019 poll in Jammu and Kashmir was not held after the centre scrapped Article 370 and 35A, and divided the state into two union territories.
This campaign against forces trying to divide people here is a matter of great happiness... we started it together. As NC boss and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah told the press, the INDIA bloc was formed so we could fight forces attempting to communalise, divide, and break the country.
We have completed negotiations and coordinated in a very good (and) cordial atmosphere. The Congress and the National Conference will fight the elections together."
The sentiment was echoed by Congress leader KC Venugopal, one of the two big names deployed.
Having completed our discussion and reached a consensus, we will fight together and win the J&K elections. The Congress and National Conference are coming together to form the next government..." the Lok Sabha MP claimed, accusing the BJP of "trying to destroy the soul of J&K".
The NC had offered the Congress only five seats in the Kashmir Valley and between 28 and 30 in Jammu region. The national party, however, was holding out for more, particularly in areas perceived as strongholds.
It had been announced earlier that Congress and NC would fight this election together.
After Congress MP Rahul Gandhi visited Farooq Abdullah's Srinagar home last week, the two parties are in a pre-poll alliance for the first time since 1987.
The meeting with Mr Gandhi went well, in a cordial atmosphere. The alliance is on track and, with any luck, it will go smoothly. The alliance will be signed this evening, and the alliance will cover all 90 seats, Farooq Abdullah had said after the meeting.
According to NC leader Omar Abdullah, who is Farooq Abdullah's son and a former Chief Minister as well, a broad agreement was reached last week. He told the media that he had reached a consensus on the maximum number of seats out of 90.
A few days ago, however, Congress sent Mr Venugopal and Salman Khurshid to bring the seat-sharing talks back on track. The two met with Omar Abdullah this morning.
In a statement announced then, Omar Abdullah - who had earlier said he would not contest the J&K election until it became a union territory - has backtracked and will fight from Ganderbal. From 1983 to 1996, his father held the seat for three consecutive terms.
BJP barbs rained down upon confirmation of the Congress-NC alliance.
Last week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah fired 10 questions at the Congress, accusing it of again "putting itself before the country" as it had in the past "played with the unity and security of the country".
NC's pledge to restore statehood for J&K and special rights for its "permanent residents" under now-scrapped Article 35A was a red flag for the BJP.
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On September 18, J&K will hold its first Assembly election in a decade. Voting will also take place on September 25 and October 1, with results due on October 4.