Congress and National Conference engage in competitive yet cordial battle for 5 seats in J&K elections
PTC News Desk: The Congress and the National Conference (NC), both key members of the INDIA bloc, have concluded their seat-sharing negotiations ahead of the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections. The agreement outlines that the National Conference will contest 51 out of the 90 constituencies, while the Congress will field candidates in 32 seats. Notably, both parties will engage in “friendly fights” in five constituencies—four in the Jammu division and one in the Kashmir valley.
Banihal Constituency The Congress has nominated Vikar Rasool Wani for Banihal, a seat previously held by him in 2008 and 2014. Wani also served as the Jammu and Kashmir Congress president from 2022 to 2024 before being succeeded by Tariq Hameed Karra. The National Conference has fielded Sajjad Shaheen, the district president of Ramban, who previously contested against Wani in 2008 and 2014 but was defeated.
Doda Constituency The Doda constituency, now divided into Doda and Doda West following recent delimitation, features a Muslim majority in Doda and a Hindu majority in Doda West. In the 2014 Assembly elections, the BJP won in Doda. The Congress has put forward Sheikh Riyaz, a former sarpanch and the general secretary of the J&K Congress during Wani’s presidency. The National Conference’s candidate is Khalid Najib Suharwady, a veteran politician who served as J&K’s home minister from 2001 to 2002 and as an MLC from 2009 to 2015.
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Bhaderwah Constituency For Bhaderwah, the Congress has selected Nadeem Sharief, who won the District Development Council election in 2020 and is a member of the district development council of Doda. Sharief is related to former Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad. The National Conference has chosen Sheikh Mehboob Iqbal, a retired bureaucrat and former divisional commissioner of Kashmir, who joined the National Conference after a stint with the PDP.
Nagrota Constituency Nagrota, a Hindu majority constituency, will vote in the final phase on October 1. Devender Singh Rana, who previously won this seat for the National Conference in 2014, is now a BJP candidate. Both the Congress and National Conference are set to have a "friendly fight" here, though their candidates have yet to be finalized.
Sopore Constituency In Sopore, the Congress has fielded Abdul Rashid Dar, a two-time MLA, while the National Conference has chosen Irshad Kar, the son of former senior Congress leader Ghulam Rasool Kar. The strong local support for both candidates reflects the area's turbulent history, which influenced the decision not to reach a coalition agreement on this seat.
The strategic seat-sharing arrangement and the decision to contest against each other in certain constituencies highlight the complex dynamics and the need for both parties to maintain a balance between competition and cooperation in the region.
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- With inputs from agencies
