Lok Sabha polls: NC, Congress seat sharing deal in J&K puts PDP out of I.N.D.I.A. bloc

While Congress will contest Udhampur, Jammu and Ladakh LS seats, the Farooq Abdullah led-NC will contest Anantnag, Srinagar and Baramulla.

With National Conference (NC) and the Congress finalising their seat-sharing agreement in Jammu and Kashmir for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, People's Democratic Party (PDP) has been left out of the I.N.D.IA. bloc in the Union Territory (UT).

The Congress and the NC on Monday announced its seat-sharing agreement for J&K and Ladakh region, with each party getting three seats each.

As per the agreement, Congress will field its candidates in Udhampur, Jammu and Ladakh Lok Sabha seats, while the NC will fight elections in Anantnag, Baramulla and Srinagar.

The announcement was made by NC leader and former chief minister of J&K, Omar Abdullah in a joint press conference with Congress in New Delhi. The seat sharing deal between Congress and NC was announced a day after Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP declared its candidates for three seats in Kashmir.

The PDP announced candidates after it decided to contest on all seats in Kashmir alone, blaming Omar Abdullah for ‘non-cooperation’ over seat sharing decision. However, Mehbooba announced that her party will support the Congress on Udhampur and Jammu seats.

Last month Omar had openly said he had in a subtle message threatened to walk away from the Congress led bloc if he was asked to concede Anantnag-Rajouri LS seat Mehbooba’s PDP.

Defending his party’s decision to not give any LS seats to the PDP in Kashmir, he said, “We (NC) didn’t out PDP, rather the situation has kept them out. The party (PDP) that stands on number 3 (in 2019 LS elections) has no right to ask for a seat.”

Both the NC and the PDP are part of the INDIA bloc, which was formed in July last year to dislodge the Narendra Modi-led BJP at the Centre. After the latest development, it is to be seen whether the PDP still remains part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc or not.