NC quits I.N.D.I.A. bloc; Farooq Abdullah hints at alliance with BJP

Srinagar: In another blow to I.N.D.I.A. bloc, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah Thursday announced that his party would contest upcoming Lok Sabha polls on its own, while hinting that he may re-join the BJP-led NDA in the future.

“The seat sharing talks with the I.N.D.I.A. bloc constituents had failed. As far as seat sharing is concerned, I want to make it clear the National Conference will contest elections on its own strength. There are no two opinions about it," Abdullah told reporters.

The announcement incidentally came a day after Abdullah, a former chief minister of J&K, was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged cricket scam. Last month Abdullah had voiced concerns regarding the absence of consensus regarding seat-sharing arrangements within the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.

The NC president also didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to the BJP-led NDA fold. The NC was part of the NDA government led by Atal Behari Vajpayee in the Center from 1998-2002. Abdullah’s son and former CM Omar Abdullah was minister of state for External Affairs during the Vajpayee government.

Asked about the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, "I think both Assembly and Parliamentary elections will be held together.”

Reacting to Abdullah's assertions, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh wrote on X, “Talks are going on. Every party has their own limitations. National Conference and PDP have been a part of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, and will continue to remain so.”

Till the recent past, Abdullah was a staunch supporter of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc and would attend the meetings of the alliance in various parts of the country. With today’s announcement, the fate of People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) also hangs in balance.

The PAGD, a alliance between several political parties in Jammu and Kashmir campaigning for autonomy for the region by restoring special status along with Article 370 of the erstwhile state, was formed in 2020. The NC and Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are two main constituents of the PAGD with senior Abdullah being its president.

Iltija Mufti, the media advisor and daughter of Mehbooba Mufti, had claimed in October that her party was under tremendous pressure from the Centre to quit the PAGD.