Srinagar: The National Conference, biggest regional party of Jammu and Kashmir, on Thursday announced it would contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections and possible assembly polls in the Union Territory “on its own”.
This was announced by the party chief and Lok Sabha MP Farooq Abdullah here. It comes as yet another setback to the INDIA bloc as well as the regional PAGD alliance.
“Elections will happen and I think both assembly and Parliament elections will be held together. Let me make it clear, the National Conference will fight on its own and there is no doubt about that,” he made it clear.
At his party office Nawa-e-Subh in Srinagar, the National Conference (NC) chief said Lok Sabha polls and the much-awaited Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir may take place simultaneously.
The parties that are part of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance had hoped for seat sharing in Jammu and Kashmir after many parties left them. There are five parliamentary seats in Jammu and Kashmir and the NC said they were dominant on seats that were being represented by Farooq Abdullah, Hasnain Masoodi, and Akbar Lone.
At a time when Lone, an MP from north Kashmir has not been keeping well, it will be interesting to see what replacement does National Conference comes up with.
After the re-organisation of the parliamentary seats, Rajouri and Poonch are part of the South Kashmir constitution.
The 2024 general polls will be held between April and May to elect 543 members of the Lok Sabha.
