NC refuses to cede 3 Valley seats to Cong

Amit Khajuria

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 17

With the National Conference making it clear that it won’t concede even a single out of the three Lok Sabha seats in the Valley to former ally Congress, the seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties has hit a wall.

The NC, which had lost all three seats to regional rival PDP in 2014, is confident of reversing the results and has made it clear to the Congress that negotiations are possible for the three other seats in the state — Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh. 

The stalemate between the two parties, which have often played the role of allies and adversaries since 1975, has forced both to look for other options. The NC sees its chances bright in the Ladakh seat as the BJP is in a weakened position over unfulfilled promises and if the Congress fields a candidate, it will cut into the Buddhist vote.

“The three Valley seats are non-negotiable, now it is up to them to respond,” NC vice-president Omar Abdullah said, stirring anxiety among its leaders in Jammu, who were hoping to sail through on the strength of the Muslim and weaker section votes in the acutely polarised constituencies of Udhampur and Jammu. That is only possible if there is a quid pro quo with the Congress in the Valley.

The Congress is also relying on the same set of votes in both constituencies where, if it strikes an alliance with the PDP, it can offer a straight and strong contest to the BJP.

The BJP is optimistic of a sweep in Jammu and Ladakh.