A senior Congress leader told THE WEEK that Rahul Gandhi would visit Jammu and Kashmir to discuss significant party matters and the upcoming assembly elections in the Union Territory on Wednesday.
Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is arriving in the Union Territory just days after Tariq Hameed Karra replaced Vikar Rasool Wani as the JKPCC chief.
Gandhi is also expected to hold talks with regional parties, especially the National Conference (NC), regarding a pre-poll alliance. The NC and the Congress had jointly contested the Lok Sabha polls. The NC supported the Congress in the two Parliamentary constituencies in Jammu, and the Congress reciprocated by supporting the NC in the three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir.
The NC won two Lok Sabha seats—Srinagar and Anantnag-Rajouri—but lost Baramulla to Awami Itehad Party (AIP) candidate Engineer Rashid. The Congress lost both seats to the BJP but registered a significant increase in vote share. The Congress is interested in an alliance with regional parties to keep the BJP at bay.
Omar Abdullah, NC Vice President and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir revealed that after the Election Commission of India announced the election schedule for Jammu and Kashmir, a Congress delegation met with the NC to discuss a potential alliance. “They came without instructions from the Congress high command, so we didn’t take that dialogue forward,” Omar said. “If Congress has a concrete suggestion, then we will talk to them.”
On Monday, Karra said that the Congress is open to forming alliances with like-minded parties for the upcoming assembly elections. “As far as I know, the NC has already approached the central leadership for an alliance,” he said. “At some level, talks have also occurred with the PDP.” An alliance between the NC and the Congress would prevent the division of Muslim votes in Jammu’s Rajouri and Poonch, also called Pir Panjal, and Chenab Valley, which comprises the districts of Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar. These districts have 11 Muslim-majority seats, and a united opposition reduces the chances of dividing the Muslim vote.
