National Conference president Farooq Abdullah announced on Thursday that an alliance with the Congress is confirmed for all 90 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir.
The announcement followed a meeting at Abdullah’s residence with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
“We had a positive and cordial meeting. The alliance is on track, and, God willing, it will proceed smoothly,” Abdullah said.
“The alliance is final. It will be signed this evening, and it covers all 90 seats,” Abdullah told reporters.
The three-phase elections for the 90-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly are scheduled for September 18, September 25, and October 1, with results to be announced on October 4.
Abdullah added, “CPI(M)’s MY Tarigami is also with us. I hope our people support us as well, and that we win by a large majority to improve the lives of the people.”
When asked about Rahul Gandhi’s earlier assurance that restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is a priority for the Congress and the INDIA bloc, Abdullah expressed hope that full statehood with all its powers would be reinstated.
“Statehood is very important to all of us. This has been promised to us. This state has experienced difficult times, and we hope it will be fully restored with all its powers. For that, we stand united with the INDIA bloc,” he said.
When asked if the two parties had agreed on a common minimum programme, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah responded that there was no need for one.
“Our common programme is to fight the elections to defeat the divisive forces in the country,” he said.
The former chief minister also did not rule out the possibility of the Mehbooba Mufti-led People’s Democratic Party joining a pre- or post-poll alliance.
“Let’s first get through the elections, and then we can address those matters,” Abdullah remarked. “No doors are closed for anyone.” When asked about the seat-sharing arrangement, he urged patience.
“Everything will be revealed before the first phase,” he said.
Abdullah also declined to comment on whether he would be contesting the elections.
The former Union minister expressed his satisfaction with the cordial atmosphere of the meeting with the Congress leadership.
“Honestly, I am very pleased today because we worked together in a cordial atmosphere to strengthen our country,” Abdullah added.
