J&K Assembly Polls: Alliance with Congress final on all 90 seats, says NC chief Farooq Abdullah

The announcement came after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called on the National Conference leadership at Abdullah's residence.

Srinagar: In a significant political development, the National Conference (NC) and Congress have decided to contest the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections as allies, having finalised a seat-sharing agreement for all 90 seats in the Union Territory (UT).

NC President Farooq Abdullah announced the decision, confirming that the seat-sharing deal with Congress had been agreed upon.

“We had a positive meeting in a very cordial atmosphere. The alliance is firmly on track, and, God willing, it will proceed smoothly. The agreement covers all 90 seats, and it will be formally signed this evening,” Abdullah stated following his meeting with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

He also mentioned the inclusion of CPM's M Y Tarigami in the alliance and expressed hope that the people would support them to secure a decisive victory aimed at improving the lives of the residents. He did not rule out the possibility of the Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) joining the alliance, either before or after the elections.

When asked about Rahul Gandhi's earlier commitment to prioritizing the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, the NC chief responded, “I am optimistic that full statehood, with all its powers, will be reinstated. Statehood is crucial for all of us, and it has been promised. Our state has endured difficult times, and we hope to see it fully restored. For this, we stand united with the I.N.D.I.A. bloc."

Regarding the specifics of the seat-sharing arrangement, he urged patience, assuring that details would be revealed before the first phase of elections.

Previously, the NC and Congress had contested the Lok Sabha elections as part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. In that contest, Congress lost both seats in Jammu, while NC lost one of the three seats it contested in the Kashmir Valley.

As for his own candidacy in the upcoming polls, Abdullah remained non-committal stating, “Honestly, my heart is very happy today because of the effort we are making to strengthen this country in a spirit of unity.”