Cong fields Vikramaditya from Udhampur, Bhalla in Jammu

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 22

After much speculation, the Congress has fielded former minister and senior party leader, Raman Bhalla, from the Jammu-Poonch parliamentary constituency and scion of the Dogra dynasty, Vikramaditya Singh, from the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda seat.

Both are joint candidates of the Congress-NC alliance in Jammu and Kashmir for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Sources said Salman Soz, son of former Union minister Saif-ud-Din Soz, would be the candidate from the Baramulla seat, where both parties are in a “friendly fight”.

Although official confirmation is yet come from the Congress, Raman and Vikramaditya were introduced by NC chief Farooq Abdullah at the party office, Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan, where it had organised a campaign meeting.

“We have come together to save secularism and end divisive politics which is threatening the country today,” Farooq said. “We will frustrate the nefarious designs of these forces,” he vowed and pointed out that his party had decided to support the Congress candidates on two Lok Sabha seats of Jammu province only to strengthen secular forces.

The screening committee of the Congress will be meeting in New Delhi to decide the probable candidates for two other seats also which include, Anantnag and Ladakh. The Congress will not field any candidate for the Srinagar parliamentary seat as per the seat sharing agreement with the National Conference.

“Raman and Vikramaditya are our candidates for the Jammu and Udhampur constituency, respectively. An official announcement will be made also in this regard within a day or two,” said Ravinder Kumar Sharma, chief spokesperson, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee.

After weeks of closed-door negotiations between senior leaders of both parties, the NC and Congress decided entered into an alliance on three Lok Sabha seats on March 20.

The Congress will contest the Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda seat, with the NC not to filed its candidates. The NC will fight from Srinagar-Budgam, where the Congress will not field any candidate. On other three seats, Baramulla, Anantnag and Ladakh, the two parties have decided to put up friendly candidates.

Party needs to be strengthened in J&K: Soz

Srinagar: After finalising a pre-poll alliance with the NC for the six Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Congress feels there is scope for its “rejuvenation”. “The Congress can be rejuvenated because it is now seen as a bulwark against the Modi regime. There is scope for making the party stronger in the state,” said Saifuddin Soz, senior Congress leader. He said no party in J&K in recent past had been in a position to get a majority like in some other states. He said the coalition had become the order of the day. tns