STATE TIMES NEWS

Srinagar: The National Conference (NC) and the Congress Monday agreed to contest 51 and 32 seats respectively for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir.
One seat each has been allotted to the CPI(M) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), the allies announced at a joint press conference at NC president Farooq Abdullah’s residence here after day-long negotiations.
According to their seat-sharing formula, the NC will contest 51 seats in J-K and the Congress 32.
They also said there will be a “friendly contest” on five seats of the Union Territory.
The leaders said the list of seats each party will be contesting, as well as the names of the candidates, will be issued later.
The NC president said the alliance is up for a fight against the powers “who are dividing the people not just in this state, but across the country.”
“The INDIA bloc was made with an aim to fight those forces who are trying to create a communal divide in the country. Today, I am happy that the negotiations (over the alliance) have been concluded. They took place in a cordial atmosphere,” Abdullah said.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, said the two parties are aiming to protect the “soul” of J-K and the country.
“The BJP is trying to destroy the soul of J-K. Our INDIA alliance aims to save the soul of J-K. That is why the Congress and NC are coming together to form a government in J-K which is totally friendly with the people of J-K,” he said.
Venugopal also said the BJP has no moral right to criticise the NC manifesto, as it had earlier done.
“BJP had an alliance with NC earlier, they also had an alliance with the PDP. The same old NC is still NC and the same old PDP is still PDP. They had alliances with both the parties with the same programme,” he said.
“Every political party has their programme, manifesto and promises. We have our own promises and manifesto. When we will form the government, there will be a common minimum programme,” he added.
The politician said the people of J-K have been “cheated” by the BJP.
“We have never seen a state being downgraded to a UT. That is why the people want a BJP-free government in J-K. people are suffering because of their divisive agenda and policies, unemployment. Their only agenda is to divide the people. “We believe in unity, in the progress of the people, employment of the youth,” the Congress general secretary said.

NC issues first list of 18 candidates

Srinagar: After its seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress was finalised, National Conference (NC) Monday issued its first list of 18 candidates for the first phase of the three-phased assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
The party in a post on X said the list was approved by NC president Farooq Abdullah.
The party named its former MP from Anantnag, Justice (Retd) Hassnain Masoodi, as its candidate from Pampore and former legislator Mohammad Khalil Bandh from Pulwama.
The NC announced the name of Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din Mir from Rajpora, Showkat Hussain Ganie from Zainpora, Sheikh Mohammad Rafi from Shopian and former minister Sakina Ittoo from DH Pora. It also named Peerzada Feroze Ahmad from Devsa, Chowdary Zaffer Ahmad from Larnoo, Abdul Majeed Larmi from Anantnag West, Bashir Ahmad Veeri from Bijbehara, Reyaz Ahmad Khan from Anantnag East and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo from Pahalgam. All these seats are in south Kashmir.
For the seats in Jammu region, the NC announced Mehboob Iqbal from Bhaderwah, Khalid Najeeb Soharwardy from Doda, Arjun Singh Raju from Ramban, Sajad Shaheen from Banihal, former minister Sajad Kichloo from Kishtwar and Pooja Thokur from Pader-Nagsani.