Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir): Two days after the NC and Congress finalised a pre-poll alliance for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, the two parties are facing internal revolt with a senior NC leader openly targeting the potential alliance candidate for Banihal seat in Ramban district.
The Conference (NC) and Congress are yet to issue the joint candidate list even as three National Conference candidates have filed their nominations under the first phase of assembly elections, while Congress has not yet fielded any candidates.
The alliance with the National Conference has sparked internal dissent within Congress and National Conference. According to sources, the NC has demanded over ten seats in the Jammu division, including Nagrota, Raipur Domana, Vijaypur, Nowshera, Sunderbani, and areas of the Chenab Valley. This demand has faced opposition within Congress.
Dissent Within Congress Over Seat Sharing
A senior Congress leader stated that the party performed well in the Jammu division during the last Lok Sabha election and has the potential to challenge the BJP on several key seats. However, conceding these seats to the NC could harm Congress's prospects, and party leaders who have served for the past ten years may feel sidelined.
NC Leaders Oppose Alliance with Congress On Banihal Assembly Seat
On the other hand, National Conference senior leader Sajjad Shaheen voiced strong opposition to the alliance during a public rally in Banihal. He expressed confidence that he would receive the mandate to contest from Banihal. However, Congress senior leader and former JKPCC President Vikar Rasool Wani's name has emerged as a potential candidate from Banihal under the NC-Congress alliance.
Shaheen however expressed his concerns, stating that the alliance suggests that former Congress regional head Vikar Rasool might be given the mandate to contest from Banihal, which he deemed unacceptable. Shaheen clarified that the situation would only become clear once the JKNC releases its list of candidates. He said that the party has assured him that he will be given the mandate, but things will only be clear once the list is released.
Shaheen also pointed out that Vikar was recently removed from his position as the President of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) due to the alleged misuse of funds allocated for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. He questioned how his supporters could trust and vote for Vikar, especially when he had not provided any benefits to them in the past decade.
The NC leader urged the party's senior leadership not to give up the Banihal seat. He lamented that the alliance has politically sidelined him, warning that if the party continues with the alliance in this constituency, it could render his two decades of hard work meaningless.
