Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaks during the party workers' meeting, in Srinagar, Thursday, August 22, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Srinagar: As the Assembly polls in Jammu & Kashmir approach, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, ignited political speculations on Thursday by hinting at a potential coalition with Farooq Abdullah led National Conference (NC).
However, he kept a rider for any alliance. “There will be an alliance for the Assembly elections, but it will be done while maintaining the respect of Congress party workers,” he declared, fueling discussions about the nature of this potential coalition.
The two parties had been reportedly holding backchannel meetings to finalise seat-sharing arrangements ahead of the Assembly polls. While Gandhi did not directly mention the NC, analysts infer a possible Congress-NC alliance.
The idea of a Congress-NC alliance is not new. The two parties have a history of collaboration, sharing common ground on several critical issues, including the special status of Jammu & Kashmir.
In previous Lok Sabha elections, they contested together, with the NC supporting Congress on two parliamentary seats in Jammu and the Congress backing the NC on three seats in the Kashmir Valley.
Accompanied by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on a two-day visit, Gandhi emphasised the importance of Jammu & Kashmir in the national political landscape.
“When the elections were announced, Kharge ji and I decided to visit Jammu and Kashmir first. We want to send a message that the representation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is of utmost importance to us. This is the first time in India's history since independence that a state has been downgraded to a union territory,” Gandhi remarked.
Concluding his address, the 54-year-old leader reiterated the Congress' commitment to countering hatred with love, stating, "We will defeat 'nafrat' with 'mohabbat'.”
Earlier in the day, both Gandhi and Kharge engaged with party workers to gather feedback on grassroots-level election preparations. After concluding their discussions in Kashmir, the two leaders flew to Jammu to hold similar interactions.
The upcoming Assembly polls, the first since the revocation of Jammu & Kashmir's special status under Article 370 in August 2019, will be held in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The votes will be counted on October 4.