NC-Congress rift over seats; Shah’s tweet stokes fire

SRINAGAR: Friction has surfaced just two days after the National Conference (NC) and Congress announced their pre-election alliance, with NC Vice President Omar Abdullah revealing that the two parties are “deadlocked on specific constituencies.”

 

Abdullah mentioned that while agreement has been largely reached on 90 constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, there are unresolved disputes over certain seats. He stressed that both parties are firmly holding their ground on these constituencies and will continue negotiations to incorporate them into the coalition.

मोदी सरकार ने ‘आर्टिकल 370 और 35A’ हटाने के बाद वर्षों से दलितों, आदिवासियों, पहाड़ियों और पिछड़ों के साथ हो रहे भेदभाव को ख़त्म करके उन्हें आरक्षण देने का काम किया।

क्या राहुल गाँधी JKNC के घोषणापत्र में उल्लेखित दलितों, गुज्जर, बकरवाल और पहाड़ियों के आरक्षण को समाप्त करने वाले… pic.twitter.com/2mBkLYIfXB

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 23, 2024

The rift also occurs at a time when Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched an attack on the Congress party regarding its alliance with the National Conference (NC) for the forthcoming Jammu and Kashmir Legislative elections, challenging its position on significant matters highlighted in the NC’s campaign agenda.

“The Congress party, which has repeatedly jeopardized the nation’s unity and safety to satisfy its lust for authority, has once again revealed its hidden agenda by aligning with the Abdullah family’s ‘National Conference’ in the Jammu and Kashmir elections,” Shah stated on X, presenting ten sharp inquiries aimed at the grand old party and its leader, Rahul Gandhi. Here are some of the questions that Union Minister Amit Shah posed to Congress:

“Does the Congress endorse the National Conference’s vow of a distinct flag for Jammu and Kashmir?”

“Do the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi endorse the National Conference’s plan to initiate ‘LoC Trade’ with Pakistan, thereby fostering terrorism and its networks across the border?”

“Does the Congress wish for ‘Shankaracharya Hill’ to be referred to as ‘Takht-e-Suleiman,’ and ‘Hari Hill’ as ‘Koh-e-Maran’?”

“Do the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi endorse the JKNC’s divisive approach of granting autonomy to Kashmir?”

“Does Congress support the JKNC’s promise to abolish reservations for Gujjars, Bakarwals, and Pahadi communities, thereby imposing injustice upon them?”

 

 

The contention reportedly focuses on the Kashmir Valley’s 47 constituencies, where the Congress is demanding a substantial share. A senior NC leader informed The New Indian that Congress is seeking to control at least 11 constituencies, particularly in Southern and Central Kashmir, areas where NC believes Congress has historically underperformed.

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Sources indicate that “In phase-1, Congress may secure Dooru and Shangas, while Kokernag, Banihal, Inderwal (Padar-Nagseni), and Doda in Jammu might go to the J&K National Conference.” Although the joint committee has yet to finalize decisions for Phase-2 and Phase-3, where Congress has a strong presence, NC may ultimately receive 60 seats (with 2 possibly allocated to allies MY Tarigami and Harsh Dev Singh), while Congress could secure 30-33 seats, mainly in the Jammu region.

 

Another senior NC leader informed The New Indian that Congress had requested 11 seats in Kashmir province but the party plans to contest most seats across J&K, while Congress will compete in single-digit seats in Kashmir, focusing primarily on Jammu. Historically, Congress has secured no more than five seats in the Kashmir Valley, with a strong voter base in Dooru, Kokernag, Uri, and Bandipora. However, the party is pushing for nominations from Southern Kashmir’s Tral and Srinagar, areas NC considers its stronghold.

 

Another NC leader told The New Indian, “Congress is negotiating with NC to leave Central Shalteng for the recently appointed J&K Congress President, Tariq Hamid Karra.”

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Tensions are heightened by the fact that current J&K Congress President, Tariq Hamid Karra, who hails from Srinagar, defeated NC’s Farooq Abdullah in the 2014 Lok Sabha election by 40,000 votes on a PDP ticket. He added, “There is significant pressure from Constituency In-Charges on senior leadership, which is why seat-sharing discussions are taking time.” He also emphasized, “People want this alliance to ensure BJP has no chance to form the government here. The final list is expected by tomorrow.”

 

Earlier this year, the NC-Congress alliance jointly contested the five Lok Sabha seats in J&K, leading in 34 out of 54 Assembly segments, with NC capturing 22.2% of votes (11.47 lakh) and Congress 19.3% (9.98 lakh). The alliance now faces the challenge of resolving the above-mentioned internal conflicts ahead of the forthcoming elections.

 

The three-phase elections for the 90-member J&K assembly are scheduled for September 18, September 25, and October 1. The last assembly elections in J&K were held in 2014, after which BJP and PDP formed a coalition government in the erstwhile state, which collapsed in June 2018 when BJP withdrew support.