National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said his party had sealed a pre-poll alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Assembly elections.

However, the NC seems to have rebuffed Rahul Gandhi’s desire for a wider alliance
that includes Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP.

This is the first Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and the first time after the 1987 elections that two parties will have a pre-poll alliance.

Farooq’s announcement came shortly after meeting Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul, at his Gupkar residence in Srinagar.

The NC president suggested the People’s Democratic Party would not be part of
the pre-poll alliance, hours after Kharge had said Rahul was interested in fighting
unitedly by taking the Opposition together.

The two top Congress leaders are in Kashmir to discuss a pre-poll alliance of like-minded parties.

Although the two parties have sealed the alliance, sources said, the challenges on the seat-sharing front remain.

Mehbooba’s PDP is part of the INDIA bloc but was not included in the alliance for the Lok Sabha polls after the NC leaders shot down the proposal.

“Rahulji is interested that we will fight unitedly in Jammu and Kashmir. We even want to take the Opposition together to move forward,” Kharge, accompanied by Rahul, told a media conference in Srinagar, leading to speculation that the PDP might also be included this time.

The two leaders later went to Farooq’s Gupkar residence where they held a detailed discussion with the NC top brass.

Farooq addressed a media conference where he said the alliance had been finalised.

“We had a very good meeting in a very cordial atmosphere. The alliance is on track and God willing, it will run well. The alliance is final. It will be signed this evening and the alliance is on all 90 seats,” the NC president said, brushing aside speculation that the NC was forging an alliance with the BJP.

To a question that the Congress has suggested the PDP could also be part of
the alliance, Farooq said his party and the Congress were together but did not mention the PDP.

“The Congress and we are together. Tarigami Sahab (CPM leader Yousuf Tarigami) is also with us and I hope our people are also with us,” he said.

When asked whether the PDP has any space in a pre or post-poll alliance, Farooq suggested only a post-poll alliance was possible.

“Let us first go through the polls. Then we will look into these things. No doors are closed for anybody,” he said.

Rahul favoured statehood for Jammu and Kashmir and said it was the first time in history that a state had been reduced to a UT.

“We hope statehood will be restored as soon as possible,” he said.