Srinagar, Aug 26 (IANS): After hectic daylong discussions between senior Congress and National Conference (NC) leaders on Monday, the two parties have reached an agreement on seat-sharing for the J&K Assembly elections, while there will be a 'friendly contest' on five seats.
Addressing a press conference here, NC President Farooq Abdullah, senior Congress leaders K.C.Venugopal, Salman Khursheed and JKPCC President Tariq Hameed Karra said that the two parties have reached an agreement on seat-sharing on 85 seats out of the total 90 seats in the J&K while the two parties have agreed to a ‘friendly contest’ on five seats.
Tariq Hameed Karra said the two parties will field candidates against each other on these five seats, but ‘the contest would be totally friendly and completely disciplined’.
Out of the agreed seat sharing of 85 seats, the NC will contest 51 seats while the Congress will contest 32 seats; two more seats - one for the CPI M and the other for the Panthers Party will be spared for these two parties.
The five seats where a friendly contest will be held between the NC and the Congress by fielding their candidates are Banihal, Doda, Nagrota and Bhaderwah in the Jammu region and Sopore in the Valley.
Omar Abdullah told reporters that the goal of the two parties is much bigger and that is why we have allied.
“There were roadblocks in working out the details of the seat-sharing agreement, but these were successfully overcome,” Omar said.
Talking about his previous decision not to fight assembly elections as long as J&K remained a union territory, Omar said, “It appeared very difficult for me to ask for votes in an election in which I would not be personally taking part. So, I decided to stand in these elections. The Assembly seat from where I would stand will be announced in a day or two.”
On Sunday, during a meeting of the NC in Nuner village of Ganderbal district which was attended by Omar Abdullah as well, NC Lok Sabha member, Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and NC provincial president, Nasir Aslam Wani announced that Omar Abdullah would fight the Assembly elections from Ganderbal.