Srinagar : The INDIA alliance has received another blow ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday Feb 15 said that his party will contest upcoming parliament “on its own strength” in the union territory.
NC will contest on its own strength
“As far as seat sharing in upcoming Parliament elections is concerned, I want to make it clear that the National Conference will contest elections on its own strength; there are no two opinions about it,” Farooq told reporters at his party office in Srinagar.
The stand by the NC, a leading party in Jammu and Kashmir with regard to the Lok Sabha elections is seen as a setback to the hopes of PDP and Congress who wanted an alliance on five seats of Jammu and Kashmir to give a strong contest to ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. NC and PDP are parties to the INDIA alliance formed by Congress with the purpose of contesting upcoming parliament elections together.
NC leaders had attended meetings of alliance
NC leaders Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti had attended all the meetings of the INDIA alliance. However, Farooq’s assertion is a blow to the alliance in Jammu and Kashmir where BJP is hoping to win two seats in Jammu and Anantnag-Rajouri seat which has majority Muslim voters.
While the party wanted NC to contest on Srinagar and Kupwara seats in alliance with PDP; Congress wanted NC and PDP’s support on two seats of Jammu and would have left Srinagar, Kupwara for NC. On the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the electoral bond system, Farooq Abdullah welcomed the decision and said that the ruling party should now show its bonds to the public.
On farmers’ protests, he said that the government should talk to the protesting farmers and resolve their grievances and address their apprehensions about the MSP and other laws.