Seat-sharing at the National Conference, with the PDP to be finalized by the next week: Congress

The Congress announced on Thursday that the National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Congress—all parties who are part of the INDIA alliance—would finalize their seat-sharing agreement next week. The party said that in Jammu and Kashmir, the INDIA coalition will beat the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“The restoration of the statehood to Jammu and Kashmir will be the first step in the first week of the INDIA alliance government at the Centre,” said Vikar Rasool Wani, head of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC), at a press conference held today. Wani quoted Rahul Gandhi as saying as much.

“Within the first week of forming the government, we are committed to restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, along with the guarantees regarding employment and land rights,” he said.

He accused the BJP of “not honoring” Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights and of not conducting elections for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly for the previous seven years.

He said that while the BJP was reluctant to undertake assembly elections, it was compelled to organize parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir because they were required. He stated that when it comes to the Assembly elections, the BJP raises security worries.

“Why is the security situation unsuitable for the Assembly elections when it is appropriate for parliamentary elections?” he questioned.

According to Rasool, there have already been orders from the Supreme Court to have elections before September 2024. “Delaying Assembly elections makes little sense if parliamentary elections are scheduled for March and April. Furthermore, it would be expensive for the exchequer to have elections again in September, he said.

Why do assembly elections take place three months after parliamentary elections, he questioned? Why don’t you hold them right now?

The president of Congress for Utah said, “The Congress and its INDIA alliance partners are prepared to contest and win the elections,” in reference to the readiness of the INDIA alliance. We will sweep the UT and an agreement to share seats between Congress, the PDP, and the National Conference will emerge in the next few days.

It is important to note that this was the PDP’s first appearance in the conversation. For the last several weeks, the National Conference has only mentioned Congress as a possible coalition partner when it comes to seat sharing.

NC leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah have been demanding to hold onto the three seats they already have, which they won in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and to share seats for the remaining three divisions exclusively. Jammu and Kashmir has six seats total.

According to Rasool, they would win the election and implement a just seat-sharing plan with mutual support.

The Congress politician blasted the BJP for its actions in Jammu and Kashmir, saying, “They have suppressed dissent, revoked special status, and downgraded the state into a union territory.”

He said that he had complete trust in voters’ will to get revenge at the polls. “The public’s confidence has been compromised by the BJP. He said, “Their rallies lack genuine public support, and their promises ring hollow.” He predicted that the BJP’s loss in Jammu and Kashmir will serve as a wake-up call to their inability to support the people’s goals.