Congress-National Conference Alliance in Jammu and Kashmir Faces Breakdown Over Rajya Sabha Seat Dispute

The Congress's refusal to participate in Rajya Sabha elections is primarily viewed as a strategic move to pressure the National Conference into compliance.

Srinagar:

The alliance between the Congress and the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir is facing significant strain following disagreements over Rajya Sabha seat allocations. While a potential alliance breakdown could create challenges for Omar Abdullah's government, there is no immediate threat to its stability.

The Congress has six MLAs while the National Conference holds 41 seats. With the assembly's current total strength at 88 members, the majority threshold stands at 45 seats. Two seats remain vacant. The National Conference's 41 members combined with support from five Independents/associate members and one CPM MLA ensure the government's stability even if Congress withdraws from the alliance.

Tensions between the ruling partners, who successfully contested the 2024 assembly elections together, emerged regarding Rajya Sabha seat distribution in the Union Territory.

The Congress opted to withdraw from the Rajya Sabha elections after the National Conference declined to offer a safe seat. J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra told NDTV today that Congress leaders in the region are now contemplating terminating the alliance.

In an exclusive interview, Karra stated, "Farooq Abdullah had promised Sonia Gandhi one safe seat. But the NC backtracked and unilaterally announced their candidates."

Accusing the National Conference of breaching trust, Karra revealed, "All the Congress leaders want to pull out of alliance in Jammu and Kashmir... I will be sending the feedback to Congress high command. There is huge pressure to pull out of the alliance."

He further explained that concerns extend beyond the Rajya Sabha seat dispute to the government's overall functioning. Leaders attending the Congress Core Group meeting in Srinagar strongly expressed dissatisfaction with the J&K government's operations and advocated for alliance withdrawal.

"There is no coordination committee to run this government. All the party leaders want to pull out of this alliance," said Karra.

Of the four Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference is positioned to secure three seats comfortably based on their assembly strength. A competitive contest is anticipated for one seat against the BJP, though the opposition remains confident of victory.

Following Congress's withdrawal from the Rajya Sabha race, the National Conference fielded candidates for all four seats, with nomination papers submitted today. Three BJP candidates also filed their nomination papers.

The PCC chief mentioned that NC patriarch Farooq Abdullah held a 45-minute meeting with Congress's Sonia Gandhi and communicated with Congress president Malikarjun Kharge regarding Rajya Sabha seat sharing arrangements.

"Farooq Abdullah had assured both Sonia-ji and Kharge that they are offering one safe seat to the Congress. Here, they offered us the fourth seat. Since our leaders pointed out that seat number 4 is not a safe seat, we have unanimously decided not to field a candidate," Karra explained.

Congress's refusal is widely interpreted as a strategic move to pressure the regional dominant party into alignment.

Despite underperforming in the 2024 assembly elections, which took place after six years of President's Rule, Congress's six seats have been vital for stabilizing the National Conference government and countering the BJP's 29 seats.

The National Conference maintains that Congress had better prospects for winning the fourth seat but chose not to contest. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah characterized the Rajya Sabha election as a test revealing true political alignments.

"We gave one seat to the Congress, believing they had a better chance of winning, but the Congress thought otherwise. So, we have decided to field our own candidate there as well. This will be a true test of who stands with the BJP and who does not," said Abdullah.

The Chief Minister asserted that the BJP cannot secure even one seat without resorting to horse-trading.

"You need 40 votes to win. BJP has 28 MLAs, and no one outside their party supports them. They can only win through money and muscle power," said Abdullah.