J-K Congress says alliance with NC, PDP to be finalised by March first week

Srinagar, February 29

The Congress on Thursday said its alliance with the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Jammu and Kashmir for the forthcoming parliamentary polls would be sealed and announced by next week.

“INDIA bloc will fight the elections with its full might… In J-K, you will get good news in the coming few days that Congress, NC and PDP have done seat-sharing and we will fight the election jointly. We will fight with full might and achieve a clean sweep,” JK Pradesh Congress Committee president Vikar Rasool Wani told reporters here.

He said final discussions are taking place on the alliances and an announcement would be made in the first week of March.

“Any party can say it wants to contest as many seats, but we only have six seats including Ladakh. So when an alliance takes place, final talks happen and seat-sharing is done. Wherever a particular party contests, the other two parties will give full support,” he added.

The JKPCC chief said Assembly elections have not taken place in J-K for the last seven years, and should be held along with Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP claims security issues delayed the election for these years, he said. “We demand both elections be held together. If the situation is good for Parliamentary polls, why not for assembly elections?

“The Supreme Court has already passed an order to hold assembly elections by September. If this (Lok Sabha) election is planned in the coming months, then only one or two months will remain till September, why then undertake double expenditure? Why does the government not go for simultaneous elections?” Wani said.