The former J&K CM said the NC has finalised candidates for all the three seats in Kashmir; Mr. Abdullah say the party will extend support to the Congress on both seats of Jammu and as well as on the seat of Ladakh
National Conference (NC) vice-president Omar Abdullah ruled out a pre-poll alliance with INDIA bloc ally Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday. PDP president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti termed the development as “a painful setup for the people“.
The announcement has brought to the fore growing differences within the four-year-old alliance, the Peoples Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), which was seeking a return to the position before August 5, 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated and joined hands to defeat the BJP in elections.
“The NC was ready to surrender south Kashmir’s seat (Anantnag-Rajouri) to Congress. The PDP stood third in the last Parliament election. How is it that the number one and number two party will concede the seat to number third? There is no question of supporting the PDP on the seat. The PDP is out due to a situation,” Mr. Abdullah said.
The former J&K CM said the party has finalised the candidates for all the three seats in Kashmir. “We will extend support to Congress on both seats of Jammu and as well as on the seat of Ladakh,” Mr. Abdullah said.
This story was originally published in thehindu.com. Read the full story here.