Says NC, Congress to hold 2nd round of talks on seat-sharing
‘Srinagar: National Conference will hold a second round of discussions with Congress on seat-sharing in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh Union territories for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls as the two parties could not reach an understanding in the earlier round of talks held last week, party’s vice president Omar Abdullah said here on Tuesday.
He said Congress-led INDIA bloc was formed to reduce the seats of BJP and not of its own alliance partners in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, and reiterated that the party will not “surrender” any of the three seats in Kashmir that it has won in the last general election.
“There has been one round of discussion in New Delhi. There were certain proposals put forward by the Congress which required to be discussed within the NC party. One of the proposals that they had has not found acceptance from the NC senior leadership that is there. So, we will go back. We will have a second round of discussion,” Abdullah told PTI Videos.
The former chief minister was reacting to speculations that INDIA bloc has reached an agreement on seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh with Congress fighting on Jammu, Udhampur (in Jammu region) and Ladakh constituencies, National Conference (NC) on Srinagar and Baramulla and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Anantnag seat.
NC had won Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag seats and BJP was victorious in Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh in the 2019 general elections.
“Why should we surrender a seat? The aim of the INDIA alliance is to reduce the seats of BJP and not reduce the seats of INDIA alliance members. We are discussing only three seats,” Abdullah said.
He said there has been only one round of discussions in New Delhi recently on the seat-sharing agreement among the INDIA bloc partners.
He said there will be a second round of discussions and “I am going to Delhi in a few days”.
However, he reiterated that his party would be only discussing those seats which are presently held by the BJP.
“There are only six seats including Ladakh. Three seats are anyway held by NC. So we are only discussing three seats – Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh. So I do not think it will be too difficult,” Abdullah said.
“I am sure in the next round of discussion, we will have it (seat-sharing arrangement) concluded. I am going to Delhi in a few days and I will have another round of discussion with the people there,” he said.
Asked about the delay in conducting the assembly elections in the Union Territory, Abdullah expressed the hope that there would be some good news from the Election Commission of India’s (ECI’s) visit to J&K next month.
Abdullah said, “J&K has not had assembly elections since 2014. This is the tenth year now. As I have said earlier, it is a matter of shame that assembly elections in J&K had to be announced by the Supreme Court.
“They should have been announced by the ECI. Now the ECI is coming here in the middle of March. I hope we get to hear some good news from that (visit),” he said.
