Jammu And Kashmir Polls: Congress To Play Second Fiddle With 32 Seats, National Conference To Contest On Majority 51 Seats

Congress leader Tariq Hameed Karra said that the NC would contest on 51 seats while the Congress on 32 seats.

The Congress and the National Conference have finalized the seat-sharing deal after the initial hurdle and as expected, it has agreed to play second fiddle in Jammu and Kashmir to keep the BJP out of power. There are a total of 90 assembly seats in the UT out of which, 43 are in Jammu and 47 in Kashmir. The majority mark is 46.  

Speaking about the seat sharing between Congress and the National Conference, the state Congress chief, Tariq Hameed Karra said that the NC would contest on 51 seats while the Congress on 32 seats. The both parties have agreed to have a friendly contest on five seats. "Over and above these 88 seats, we have left 1 seat for CPI (M) and 1 seat for Panthers Party," said Karra. This means, the Congress will be contesting on 37 (32+5) seats and the NC on 56 (51+5) seats.

Reacting to the seat-sharing deal, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said, "It is a matter of great happiness that we started this campaign that both of us will fight together against those forces who are trying to divide people here. The whole country and INDIA alliance was formed so that we can fight those forces who want to communalize, divide and break the country. Today we have completed the negotiations and have coordinated in a very good cordial atmosphere."

Congress leader KC Venugopal said that the BJP is trying to destroy the soul of Jammu and Kashmir. "INDIA bloc's main objective is to save the soul of Jammu and Kashmir. That is why Congress and National Conference are coming together to make a government in Jammu & Kashmir which is totally friendly with the people of J&K. We have had a discussion in accordance and we entered into a formula."

Tuesday marks the final day for filing nominations for the first phase of the Assembly Elections. While the National Conference (NC) has already submitted nominations for two candidates in D. H. Pora and Doda, the remaining seats are still up for grabs. The Jammu and Kashmir elections will be conducted in three phases, starting on September 18. In the first phase, 24 seats will be contested—17 in Kashmir and 7 in the Chenab Valley of Jammu. The vote counting is scheduled for October 4.