Resentment brews among NC-INC leaders over seat sharing
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Aug 23: The Congress Central Election Committee met this evening in New Delhi to finalise names of contesting candidates for the first phase of upcoming Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Party sources said the committee would meet again soon as only nine names were finalised and there would be further discussions on some other possible candidates. In view of some issues with the alliance partner NC on a few seats, the list could not be finalized despite marathon meeting tonight, the sources added.
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Sources further said that Congress Screening Committee meeting is being again held at Srinagar tomorrow afternoon. Chairman of the committee Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and JKPCC president Tariq Hamid Karra are likely to reach Srinagar tomorrow morning from New Delhi.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief and LOP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary (Org), KC Venugopal, AICC general secretary Incharge J&K and Pradesh Congress Committee chief Tariq Hameed Karra, Screening Committee Chairperson for the J&K, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and senior leaders Ambika Soni, Salman Khurshid, Bharat Singh Solanki among others, attended the meeting. Click here to watch video
The meeting was held a day after the National Conference announced a pre-poll alliance with the Congress for the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which is going to the polls for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah on Friday said the seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress had been finalised for all the 90 constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir and that parleys were underway to reach a consensus over the remaining seats.
The alliance was announced by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and JKPCC chief Kharge held discussions with the National Conference leadership on Thursday.
However, sources in the Congress and National Conference said that resentment is brewing among the party leaders and workers over the leaving of some seats, where candidates of both the sides have bright scope of winning. Even on some seats in South Kashmir and Doda region, the Alliance Committee leaders of both the sides are still struggling to finalise the consensus candidates.
Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases — September 18, September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes will be held on October 4.
During first phase, the elections will be held on 24 Assembly seats in Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar districts. Of the total, 16 seats fall in Kashmir province while eight in Jammu division. August 27 (Tuesday) is the last date of filing nomination papers for Ist phase of the elections. Monday is holiday in view of Krishan Janamashtmi festival.
These seats include- Pulwama, Pampore, Tral, Rajpora, Anantnag, Anantnag West, Dooru, Kokernag, Bijbehara, Shangus, Pahalgam, Shopian, Zainapora, Kulgam, D H Pora, Devsar, Ramban, Banihal, Doda East, Doda West, Bhaderwah, Kishtwar, Inderwal and Padder.
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