Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, June 22: On the direction of AICC president Sonia Gandhi, the State Congress leadership is meeting tomorrow for a decisive discussion on option of pre-poll alliance in Jammu and Kashmir where Assembly elections are approaching nearer.
Besides AICC general secretary and incharge J&K affairs Ambika Soni, former Union Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and PCC president Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, all the Congress Ministers in Coalition Government, MLAs, MLCs, PCC general secretaries, vice-presidents and district presidents will attend the crucial meeting, which will be held at SKICC Srinagar at 3 pm on Monday.
In addition, Chief Executive Councilor of Ladakh Hill Development Council, Leh, Rigzin Spalbar, CEC Ladakh Hill Development Council, Kargil, Asgar Ali Karbalaie, Congress candidates in recently held Lok Sabha elections, Madan Lal Sharma and T Samphel will also participate in the meeting, sources in Congress circles informed the Excelsior.
In the scheduled meeting, sources added, the Congress leaders will deliberate on various issues, including the strategy for forthcoming Assembly elections and pros and cons of a pre-poll alliance with National Conference.
The top leaders will assess the ground political situation on the basis of feed back from the participating ministers, Legislators and senior functionaries for apprising Sonia Gandhi about the same, sources said.
Besides, sources added, a thorough discussion on forming election campaign committee and panel committee for short listing the Assembly poll candidates, is also likely to be held in the scheduled meeting.
According to the sources, the high-level meeting is being convened on the direction of AICC president Sonia Gandhi, who was visited by Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni and Prof Soz yesterday evening for seeking direction on the party stand over various issues in the wake of forthcoming Assembly elections in Jammu Kashmir.
During the top -level meeting at 10-Janpath in New Delhi, in which AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi was also present, the senior Congress leaders apprised Sonia Gandhi about Congress position in J&K vis-à-vis ground situation and particularly sought a final decision on option for a pre-poll alliance with National Conference, sources informed.
The meeting lasted for about two and half hours and instead of making any verdict on the option of pre-poll alliance with National Conference, sources disclosed that Sonia Gandhi asked the party leaders to seek opinion of Congress workers over the issue and then apprise her about the feed back.
Several other political issues pertaining to Jammu Kashmir, including early declaration of party candidates for the Assembly elections and nomination for Upper House in wake of expiry of the term of MLC Subash Gupta, were also discussed during the meeting with Sonia Gandhi, sources said.
Meanwhile, a Congress spokesperson confirmed that Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz are arriving tomorrow for holding a meeting with Congress ministers, Legislators and senior party functionaries at SKICC Srinagar. At close of the meeting, the trio will be available to take media questions, if any, the spokesperson added.
Tomorrow’s scheduled meeting will be second high-level deliberation in State Congress within four days for discussing the party strategy vis-à-vis forthcoming Assembly elections for which the party appears to be fully gearing up for avoiding a repeat of Lok Sabha debacle.
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