SRINAGAR: With the deadline for filing nominations for the first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election approaching, the Congress has sent a team to Srinagar to resolve seat-sharing issues with the National Conference.
NDTV quoting sources reported that senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Salman Khurshid will meet National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah today to discuss the matter.
Earlier, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met the Abdullahs, and the two parties agreed to contest the elections together. However, differences over seat-sharing emerged, and negotiations hit a roadblock.
The Congress has now sent Venugopal and Khurshid to resolve the impasse so that the parties can focus on preparing for the election.
Ninety seats in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly are going to polls in three phases, with polling scheduled for September 18, September 25, and October 1. Counting of votes will take place on October 4.
NDTV quoting sources reported that National Conference has offered five seats to Congress in Kashmir Valley and 28-30 in the Jammu region.
The Congress is demanding more seats, including some traditionally held by the National Conference.
Omar Abdullah stated that seat-sharing with the Congress has been finalized for most assembly seats, and talks are ongoing to reach a consensus on the remaining seats. “We have reached a consensus on the maximum seats out of the 90,” he said.
“On a few seats, we are adamant, and on some others, the local leaders of the Congress are adamant. We will try to sort out the rest of the seats so as to announce our candidates,” he said.
