Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi along with Congress president Malikarjun Kharge reached Srinagar on Wednesday evening for a two-day visit to J&K.

The leaders will take stock of the party’s preparedness ahead of Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir and are expected to meet leaders of INDIA bloc parties to work out a pre-poll alliance so as to defeat the BJP.

The two leaders were accorded a rousing reception at the Srinagar airport from where they drove straight to Lalit Grand Palace. Large number of people greeted them as their cavalcade crossed the city streets.

Reports said that both leaders will interact with party leaders on the three-phases polling, starting from 18 September to 1 October.

The leaders will hold thorough discussions with party leaders both in Srinagar and Jammu, and take stock of the party’s poll preparedness.

Reports added they are likely to meet the regional political parties to discuss pre-poll alliance.

The programme of the two senior Congress leaders had to be rescheduled because of the Bharat Bandh on Wednesday. Earlier, they were to begin their visit from Jammu but now they went to Srinagar first and will arrive at Jammu on Thursday.

Both leaders will meet party leaders and workers to strengthen the party and improve its poll chances for the upcoming legislative elections in J&K.

They are expected to meet National Conference (NC) President Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti to forge a pre-poll alliance against the BJP during the assembly elections in J&K, sources said.

They will discuss the seat-sharing formula with the NC here while the pre-poll alliance is almost final, sources said.

Rahul will also meet Pradesh Congress Committee leaders to discuss the seat-sharing formula.

Farooq Abdullah told this correspondent that talks are on for a pre-poll alliance on all the 90 seats of the assembly.

Congress and the NC had a poll alliance during the Lok Sabha polls but the PDP was left out. Two seats of the Jammu division and the lone Lok Sabha seat of the Ladakh region were given to the Congress while three seats in Kashmir were given to the NC. Congress lost both seats in the Jammu division to the BJP while the Ladakh seat was won by an NC rebel defeating the BJP and the Congress candidates.

Out of the three seats in the Valley, Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri were won by the NC while an independent candidate, Engineer Rashid defeated the former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Baramulla.