Monitor News Bureau
Srinagar, Mar 13: National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah Wednesday admitted that talks were on with the Congress, but ruled out any pre-poll alliance yet.
Earlier reports said that NC and Congress had agreed to field joint candidates on few Lok Sabha seats in the coming elections.
News agency KNS quoted Farooq Abdullah saying: “No alliance has taken place yet. Once any such development will happen, we will let you know.”
However, NC president admitted that talks with Congress regarding a pre-poll alliance in the state were going on.
Sources said that the National conference parliamentary board meeting is going to take place within two to three days under the leadership of Farooq.
“The meeting is crucial in the nature of deciding any alliance for the Lok Sabha elections. The board will also decide the candidates for the Lok Sabha elections,” the news agency quoted one of the senior leaders of NC saying.
Meanwhile, if reports are to be believed then both NC and Congress were expected to contest three seats each. However, reports said, NC is keen on contesting a seat from Jammu region this time.
“The NC wants to join the fray from the Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha constituency. It wants to leave the Udhampur-Doda seat for the Congress,” reports said.
There are six Lok Sabha seats in the state: Baramulla, Srinagar and Anantnag in Kashmir, Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda in Jammu, and one in Ladakh.
The NC had already announced its decision to contest from Baramulla and Jammu-Poonch, without consulting the Congress whereas NC president Farooq, who is the sitting Srinagar MP, will be contesting from the same constituency.
The Congress may get the chance to contest from Anantnag, Udhampur and Ladakh seats, but a few party leaders are not happy in giving the Jammu-Poonch seat to the NC as it had won it in 2004 and 2009 elections.
Six seats of J&K will be going to the polls in first five phases, from April 11 to May 6. The Jammu-Poonch and Baramulla seats will see voting on April 11 followed by Udhampur-Doda and Srinagar seats in second phase on April 18. The Anantnag seat will be going to the polls in three phases, April 23, 29 and May 6 whereas the Ladakh seat will see voting on May 6. (With inputs from KNS)
Party high command will decide: Mir
Srinagar, Mar 13: Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president, Ghulam Ahmad Mir Wednesday said that decision to forge an alliance with National Conference or any party lies with party high-command, which has already constituted a committee for forging an alliance with NC or any other party.
Mir while speaking to news agency Kashmir News Service said: “After a meeting of senior party leaders with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, it was left to the Central high command of the party to decide alliance or no alliance in Jammu and Kashmir. Central high command has constituted a committee for deciding alliance or no alliance and henceforth no party leader is mandated to go to press with a statement over the issue.” (KNS)
