Srinagar: As the campaigning for Lok Sabha polls gains fervour in Kashmir, the National Conference and Congress, jointly contesting under the INDIA bloc, have held several electoral rallies together. However, will the alliance work on the ground on election day?
National Conference has fielded its senior leaders, including vice president Omar Abdullah for Baramulla Parliamentary seat, veteran Gujjar leader Mian Altaf for Anantnag-Rajouri seat and Shia leader Aga Syed Ruhullah for Srinagar. The party is holding rallies in Srinagar for Aga Ruhullah. NC president Farooq Abdullah accompanies him in all the rallies in the city. Ruhullah is poised against PDP youth leader Waheed Para.
ETV Bharat visited several rallies of the National Conference in Srinagar and talked to leaders and workers of both parties. Congress district president Imtiyaz Ahmad Khan believes that his party workers will vote for the National Conference. "We are fighting against the BJP which is posing a threat to the country's secular fabric. Congress workers will surely vote for the NC candidate," he said.
Khan is from Eidgah assembly segment of the Srinagar city and is preparing to contest elections against former NC legislator Mubarak Gul in the assembly elections, whenever they take place. Gul has won the past two assembly elections against the Congress and PDP from the same seat. "I know my contest will be against Mubarak Gul in the assembly elections, but our leadership has decided to contest together for the larger interests of the people of the country. We will vote for all three NC candidates in Kashmir," he said.
Srinagar is slated to go for polls on May 13 and will witness a triangular contest between NC, PDP and Apni Party. Political analysts and ground situation shows the contest is mainly between NC and PDP. Both these parties were alliance partners in PAGD which they had formed before abrogation of Article 370 but disintegrated before the parliament elections.
A worker of Congress, Ghulam Nabi told ETV Bharat that he will vote for the NC candidate as the party has announced. Former National Conference legislator Mubarak Gul said that he was not sure if the Congress workers would vote for the NC candidate. "Time will tell. Polling booths will declare if the Congress workers voted for us. Congress doesn't have much support and strength in Srinagar," Gul said.
Gul said Congress has a presence in Kashmir, but it doesn't have a lot of public support to ensure a candidate's win. Gul's scepticism stems from the fact that in 2019 parliament elections, Congress had not fielded any candidate against NC president Farooq Abdullah from Srinagar parliamentary seat. In that election, Congress and NC leaders had said they were in "friendly contest" against each other.
National Conference, Congress and PDP were part of the INDIA bloc, but NC ditched the PDP and didn't agree to support PDP president Mehbooba Mufti in Anantnag-Rajouri seat. Mufti later fielded her party candidates from Srinagar, Baramulla and she is contesting from Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat.
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