Srinagar: After several hours of negotiations Monday, the National Conference (NC) and the Congress agreed on a seat-sharing formula for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, with the parties contesting 51 and 32 seats respectively.
The alliance partners also allotted one seat each to the CPI(M) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), they announced at a joint press conference at NC president Farooq Abdullah’s residence here after the negotiations.
According to their seat-sharing formula, the NC will contest 51 seats in J&K and the Congress 32, the leaders of the two parties said.
They also announced that a “friendly contest” would be held on five seats of the Union territory.
However, J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Qarra said the contest would take place in a cordial and disciplined manner.
The leaders said the list of seats each party will be contesting, as well as the names of the candidates, will be issued in due course.
The NC president said the alliance is up for a fight against the powers “who are dividing the people not just in this state, but across the country.”
“The INDIA bloc was made with an aim to fight those forces who are trying to create a communal divide in the country. Today, I am happy that the negotiations (over the alliance) have been concluded. They took place in a cordial atmosphere,” Abdullah said.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, said the two parties are aiming to protect the “soul” of J&K and the country.
“The BJP is trying to destroy the soul of J&K. Our INDIA alliance aims to save the soul of J&K. That is why the Congress and NC are coming together to form a government in J&K which is totally friendly with the people of J&K,” he said.
Venugopal also said the BJP has no moral right to criticise the NC manifesto, as it had earlier done.
“BJP had an alliance with NC earlier, they also had an alliance with the PDP. The same old NC is still NC and the same old PDP is still PDP. They had alliances with both the parties with the same programme,” he said.
“Every political party has their programme, manifesto and promises. We have our own promises and manifesto. When we form the government, there will be a common minimum programme,” he added.
The politician said the people of J&K have been “cheated” by the BJP.
“We have never seen a state being downgraded to a UT. That is why the people want a BJP-free government in J&K. People are suffering because of their divisive agenda and policies, unemployment. Their only agenda is to divide the people.
“We believe in unity, in the progress of the people, employment of the youth,” the Congress general secretary said.
Meanwhile, NC has announced its candidates for the first phase.
Hasnain Masoodi will contest from Pampore; M Khalil Bandh from Pulwama; G Mohiudin Mir from Rajpora; Showkat Hussain Ganie from Zainpora; Sheikh M Rafi from Shopian; Sakina Ittoo from DH Pora; Peerzada Feroz Ahmad from Devsar; Choudary Zaffar Ahmad from Larnoo; Abdul Majeed Larmi from Anantnag West; Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri, Bijbehara; Reyaz Ahmad Khan, Anantnag East; Altaf Ahmad Kaloo, Pahalgam; Mehboob Iqbal, Bhaderwah; Khalid Najeeb Soharwardi from Doda; Arjun Singh Raju from Ramban; Sajad Kitchloo from Kishtwar and; Pooja Thakur from Pader-Nagsani.
