Omkar Dattatray
The era of alliance and coalition politics has come to stay in our political system, parliamentary democracy, our federal set up/ arrangement, and J&K politics and state elections are no exception to this fact. NC is part of INDIA bloc at the all India level and in the past also Congress and NC had allied several times and fought assembly elections with the pre-poll alliance and had also formed coalition governments in Jammu and Kashmir.
Since both Congress and NC are secular parties and they can forge a pre-poll alliance to keep saffron party BJP at bay and for assuming power in J&K after the historical and crucial polls.
No wonder that the two parties namely Congress and NC have decided to forge a pre-poll alliance to fight the assembly elections, the process of which has commenced .Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress leader and the Lop in parliament have come to Jammu and Kashmir on two day visit and they have visited Srinagar and held threadbare discussions and deliberations with NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah & vice-President Omer Abdulla and have forged a pre-poll alliance with NC for fighting the assembly elections together.
Both the political parties and their leaders have realized that it is not politically viable and feasible to fight the assembly elections singly and on their own because in today’s political environment and atmosphere no single party has mass base either in Jammu or in Kashmir and so it is in the interests of both the Congress and NC to enter into pre-poll alliance to fight the historical elections after the 10 years long governors /presidential rule in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
NC’s top leader and president said that the pre -poll alliance with the Congress is final and this alliance is for all the 90 assembly seats in J&K.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the two likeminded parties of Congress and National Conference have agreed on the pre-poll alliance for the ensuing elections, the process of which has already begun in the UT. However Congress scion and dynast reiterated that this alliance with the NC will not be at the cost of the interests of Congress workers and no compromises will be made with the party ideology and the party’s interests are supreme and will not be compromised at any cost. The announcement came after Leader of Opposition in LoK Sabha Rahul Gandhi & Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called on the NC leadership at the residence of Farooq Abdullah. Thus in a significant political development ,Congress and NC has decided to have a pre -poll alliance and in fact have arrived at the alliance to fight the ensuing assembly polls together.
The alliance between the Congress and NC will have great political bearing on the assembly elections and on the politics of Jammu and Kashmir .We have heard about Indira -Abdullah accord and Rajiv -Farooq accord and it implies and signifies that the two parties are friendly and not political rivals and no surprise that once again they have agreed and formed a pre-poll alliance to fight the coming assembly elections.
It seems that this alliance will ultimately change into post-poll alliance after the elections are over and the election outcomes pour in and in all probability these two parties may also stitch a coalition government. Rahul Gandhi has said that issue of the restoration of full statehood to J&K is the top priority of Congress and INDIA bloc and these opposition parties are working and fighting for this noble cause which will be in the interests of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Rahul also stated that in the India’s political history ,we have seen UT’s becoming states but under Modi government Jammu and Kashmir state was downgraded and bifurcated into two UT’s of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh which is political fraud committed with the people of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir .It seems that the Congress-NC alliance for fighting assembly polls jointly will be in the interest of the people of the UT.
Rahul Gandhi said that the alliance between Congress and NC is aimed at not only for fighting the state elections ,but its aim is also to defeat the divisive forces of BJP who are spreading hate and hatred in the country only for the sake of remaining in power .Earlier Congress chief Kharge has expressed his willingness to forge an alliance with other opposition parties for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls and he termed the promises given by BJP government to people of J&K as” Jumla.” At this juncture nothing certain can be said about the formation of a coalition government after the poll results will be declared by the election commission ,but both the alliance partners of Congress and NC are hopeful that at the end of the electoral exercise this alliance will be able to switch and cobble a coalition government in the UT. Congress has also allied with CPI-M of Tarigami. Congress and National Conference stitched a pre-poll alliance for upcoming J&K assembly elections in Srinagar the other day ,with an ‘aim to fight the divisive forces spreading hate in the country .”The two parties deliberated on the seat sharing arrangement for all the 90 seats .Meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere and the alliance is on track was said by Farooq Abdullah. Congress ,NC and CPI-M are together and I hope people are with us as per Farooq Abdullah .He further stated that people of J& K have suffered for the last 10 years and hoped that statehood would be restored as soon as possible. He also said ”We stand with the INDIA bloc .Our common priority is to defeat the divisive forces through forging an alliance of Congress and NC. Seat -sharing arrangements will be made public phase wise and no doors are closed for any party -for post -poll alliances, said senior Abdullah. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said ,since independence J&K is the only region where statehood was down sided and people are suffering. Following the ECI’s announcement of the poll schedule for Jammu and Kashmir on August 16,the political landscape of the region is witnessing high-profile visits and alliances .Rahul Gandhi also said that money UT’s post-independence ,were upgraded to states. But there is only one instance when a statehood was revoked and two UT’s created .He termed it as a unique occurrence ,saving that it has never happened in the history of independent India .Rahul also said that it was the priority of the Congress and INDIA bloc to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir .To sum up ,it can be said that now the pre-poll alliance between Congress and National Conference has been forged, it becomes the responsibility to take serious steps to fight JK assembly polls together and for this end both the parties should work hard and fight assembly polls so that at the end of the electoral period ,alliance government may be formed which would care for the people of J&K and strive to address the issues and problems confronting the people .Congress-NC alliance Zindabad.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist)
