Cracks appear in J&K opposition bloc as National Conference not ready give up 3 Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir

Srinagar: Putting the fate of I.N.D.I.A alliance in Jammu and Kashmir in jeopardy once again, National Conference (NC) on Tuesday announced it will be contesting all three Lok Sabha seats in the Valley.

After a marathon meeting of the NC’s Parliamentary Board in Srinagar to discuss the future of the alliance with the Congress and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), party’s national provincial president, Kashmir, Nasir Aslam Wani said they will contest on all three seats in the Valley.

"For the rest of the three seats (two in Jammu and one in Ladakh), talks with the Congress are on,” he told reporters after the meeting presided by NC president and MP, Farooq Abdullah.

The NC had won Anantnag, Srinagar and Baramulla seats in 2019 Lok Sabha polls while in 2014, the PDP had emerged victorious in all the three constituencies. The two seats of Jammu were won by the BJP both in 2014 and 2019.

Earlier, sources said, the Congress had suggested a formula, labeled as 3:2:1, where Baramulla, Srinagar and Ladakh seats were offered to NC, Jammu and Udhapmur to the Congress and Anantnag constituency to the PDP.

“The Congress high command had given its consent to the formula and even the PDP was also comfortable with it. However, the NC isn’t ready to leave three Valley seats and are also bargaining for the Ladakh seat with the Congress for alliance,” Sources told DH.

While names of the NC candidates for the three valley seats weren’t made public on Tuesday, party insiders said, former chief minister Omar Abdullah will contest from Srinagar, influential Shia leader Aga Ruhullah Mehdi will test political waters from Baramulla and renowned Gujjar and Bakerwal leader Mian Altaf Ahmad will contest from Anantnag.

On February 16, Omar Abdullah had clarified that his party will continue to remain a member of the I.N.D.I.A bloc after his father Farooq Abdullah earlier announced his party would contest upcoming Lok Sabha polls on its own while hinting that he may re-join the BJP-led NDA in the future.