J&K polls: Omar Abdullah reveals what National Conference ‘sacrificed’ for alliance with Congress

J&K elections: As per the seat-sharing formula between the two parties, the National Conference will contest 51 seats while Congress will fight on 32

Published on: Aug 30, 2024, 17:26:20 IST

By HT News Desk

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Jammu and Kashmir National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Friday revealed what transpired during pre-poll alliance talks with the Congress for the upcoming assembly election.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi with J&K National Conference President Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah, in Srinagar, (PTI file)

Addressing a rally at the party's headquarters in Srinagar, the former chief minister said that the election is a fight for the entire J&K.

“If we have to undo the wrongs done to us, it will not only benefit us, but every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir. We are fighting this battle collectively for Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

"That is why we joined hands with the Congress, even as it was not an easy decision for us, (because) we had to sacrifice those seats where we knew only the NC can give a tough fight," PTI quoted Abdullah as saying.

Underlining the importance of a Congress-NC alliance against the BJP, the 54-year-old leader said,"In many seats, like the low-lying areas of Jammu, Poonch, and Rajouri, the Congress and we can together fight those powers, that is why we gave the Congress some seats here from the NC's kitty."

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Congress-NC alliance for J&K elections

As per the seat-sharing formula between the two parties, the National Conference will contest 51 seats while Congress will fight on 32. Five seats of the Union territory will witness a “friendly contest”.

Omar Abdullah is contesting from Ganderbal, a constituency he represented from 2008 to 2014 when he was the chief minister of the NC-Congress coalition government.

The elections to the legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 4.

In the 2014 elections, the PDP won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference won 15, and the Congress won 12.

(With PTI inputs)

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