1st phase notification out today, both NC & PDP seek Cong as pre-poll ally
Srinagar, August 19
Ahead of the issuing of notification for the first phase of Assembly elections on Tuesday, the Congress party is turning out to be a potential ally for both National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party — the two main Valley-based outfits.
Both the parties on Monday said they were ready for an alliance with the Congress. The Election Commission (EC) had last week announced three-phase Assembly poll beginning September 18 in Jammu and Kashmir. Ever since the announcement of poll, while BJP and other small parties have clarified that they were not keen on forming a pre-poll alliance, the Congress on Monday said it was open to allying with “like-minded” parties.
J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra said today that the NC had “already approached the party’s central leadership for an alliance”. He said the party was open to allying with “all like-minded parties”, who had taken their flag up against the “dictatorial BJP to keep them away from power”.
Karra added that a committee had been formed to see the parameters after deliberations whether to have any alliance with any party in the upcoming elections.
Later on Monday, when the NC released its manifesto, party’s vice-president Omar Abdullah said the National Conference was “going to start talks with the Congress”. “I cannot say now, how far we will succeed in that because talks haven’t started yet. Let the talks start, we will see,” he said, while responding to a question.
On a question about a potential alliance with the PDP, Omar said the Congress could not force NC to talk to anyone. “We would like to engage only with those with whom we want to engage. It is up to the Congress with whom they want to talk. Congress hasn’t talked to us about PDP and we have talked at very senior levels in Congress,” Omar said.
He, however, said talks were on with like-minded parties. “If you ask me who the like-minded parties are, I am not ready to name them,” he said.
In the last Assembly elections in 2014, the PDP had bagged the highest 28 seats, followed by the BJP (25). Then, the PDP had joined hands with the BJP to form the government with former Chief Minister and PDP founder Mufti Mohammed Sayeed equating the coalition as “bringing together the North Pole with South Pole”.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, both the PDP and NC were part of the Congress-led INDIA bloc. However, the NC and PDP didn’t contest jointly in the Valley. While the NC and the Congress contested jointly, the PDP contested on three seats in Kashmir.
Asked whether the PDP had approached Congress for an alliance, Karra said, “At some level, talks have happened.”
PDP leaders, meanwhile, said for now they were not looking at the NC, but were open for alliance with the Congress. “Yes, we are open for an alliance with the Congress party,” PDP’s general secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura told The Tribune.
He, however, said no talks had happened so far with the party. BJP UT chief Ravinder Raina on Monday said the party won’t form an alliance before the elections. However, Raina also said that talks were on with some probable Independent candidates in the Valley, who were ready for an alliance after elections.
When asked if the NC would ally with the BJP, Omar said they were not even thinking about it. “Wait for October 4 results. We do not see the BJP is in a position which you think it is,” he said.
