A day after the National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah announced that a pre-poll alliance has been finalised with Congress for the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, his son and NC vice-president Omar Abdullah on Friday said the consensus on some seats is yet to be agreed upon.
He said that the seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress has been finalised for a majority of assembly seats and talks were underway to reach consensus over the remaining constituencies.
Farooq Abdullah after a meeting with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday announced that a pre-poll alliance for the assembly elections has been finalised. The assembly elections are being held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The last election was held ten years ago in 2014.
Omar, who was accompanying the NC candidate Sakina Itoo who filed her nomination papers from the Damhal Hanjipora assembly seat in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, said out of the 90 seats most have been mutually agreed but disagreement persists on some seats. local leaders of both parties have their own preferences, he said.
Omar said discussions over the rest of the seats were going on and the alliance partners will soon finalise the seat-sharing arrangement. “On a few seats, we are adamant and on some others, the local leaders of the Congress are adamant. There will be meetings today as well and we will try to sort out the rest of the seats so as to announce our candidates,” he added.
Asked when the party would announce its candidates for rest of the seats going to polls in the first phase, Omar said there is no hurry.
“Which party has announced its candidates so far? A party has cleverly named people as constituency in-charges, our constituency in-charges have been working for the last ten years. So, why are you after our lists, ask them.
Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases –18 September, 25 September and 1 October. The counting of votes will be held on 4 October.