NC holds meet to decide Lok Sabha candidates

National Conference in talks with Congress over Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir, aims to contest all three. Final decisions expected in New Delhi meetings.

The National Conference on Tuesday held a meeting of its parliamentary board in Srinagar to discuss about the candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.

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The NC, which is part of INDIA bloc along with the Peoples Democratic Party, wants to contest all three seats from Kashmir. The party had won the seats in 2019. However, Congress leadership wants the NC to spare Anantnag Lok Sabha seat for the PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, those privy to the details said.

Congress and PDP have a sizeable vote bank in the Anantnag, which also has more areas of Poonch and Rajouri after delimitation. The final talks between the NC and the Congress leaders are scheduled in coming days in New Delhi.

The meeting on Tuesday was chaired by the party president Farooq Abdullah, and attended by vice-president Omar Abdullah.

A senior party leader, however, said that the party almost have a finalised five names for three Lok Sabha seats, including Omar who is likely to contest from Srinagar seat, currently represented by Farooq. He said that the party might repeat Farooq as well.

For Baramulla, former ministers Agha Ruhullah and Choudhary Ramzan have been shortlisted and Gujjar leader and former minister Mian Altaf’s is being considered for the Anantnag seat a senior functionary of the party said.

NC provincial president Nasir Aslam Wani told reporters after meeting that party will contest from all three seats. “We are going to contest from all three seats in Kashmir and the three seats of Ladakh and Jammu are under discussions with the Congress.”

NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said that about candidates party is going to make final announcement in the coming days.