NC, Cong forge pre-poll alliance | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

NC, Cong forge pre-poll alliance

Hindustan Times | By, Srinagar
Mar 08, 2014 12:07 AM IST

The National Conference (NC) and the Congress, ruling partners in Jammu and Kashmir, have forged an electoral alliance for the Lok Sabha elections has well. A formal announcement is likely on Saturday.

The National Conference (NC) and the Congress, ruling partners in Jammu and Kashmir, have forged an electoral alliance for the Lok Sabha elections has well.

HT Image
HT Image


A formal announcement is likely on Saturday. While the NC will contest all three seats in the Kashmir Valley, the Congress will take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the two seats of Jammu and one of Ladakh.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Confirming the development, state Congress president Saifuddin Soz said the decision had come in a party high-command meeting in Delhi. "Yes, we have formed a pre-poll alliance," he added.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, union ministers Ambika Soni, former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmad Patel, and ML Fotedar were among the party leaders at the deciding meeting. The NC has announced its candidates for Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulla seats already, while the Congress is yet to pick its candidates for the state. Party sources say the names will be out after formal announcement in New Delhi.

If the NC has repeated Dr Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar, Mehboob Beg from Anantnag, and Sharief Din Shariq from Baramulla in Kashmir, the Congress also is likely to repeat Madan Lal Sharma from Jammu and Chowdhary Lal Singh from Udhampur. In Ladakh, it will fight with the NC support.

That will split the state's six Lok Sabha seats equally between the alliance partners. While the NC wanted the alliance to counter the inroads that the People's Democratic Party (PDP) had made in Kashmir and the BJP in Jammu, a section of the Congress wanted to contest from the Valley as well.

"We should have gotten at least one seat in the Valley. The Jammu region contests seem difficult, as the BJP is very strong," said a source. The sources also said the state Congress wanted to contest two Jammu seats and Baramulla in Kashmir.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Chief of bureau of HT at Srinagar, Toufiq has been covering the volatile state of Kashmir for the past seven years. Was working as special correspondent in Indian Express in New Delhi, covering health and wellness. Has done human interest stories from across the country for almost a decade.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On