The ruling parties in the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir are against any pre-poll alliance for the Parliamentary and Assembly polls in the state scheduled to be held in 2014.
“Our party workers and leaders are totally opposed to any alliance with any party, including, National Conference during the Parliamentary and Assembly elections in the state to be held next year,” said Ghulam Nabi Monga, vice-president J&K Congress.
He said the workers and leaders want the Congress to contest independently in both the Parliamentary and Assembly elections in the state.
Monga said party workers are of the opinion that the Congress candidates have better chances of winning in both Jammu and Kashmir provinces. “We are now in strong position in Jammu and Kashmir as well”.
“The state leaders have apprised the high command about the views of the party workers. Now Congress High Command will take the final decision,” he said.
On Saturday, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee chief Saif-ud-Din Soz, senior Congress leader and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad while addressing a public gathering in South Kashmir’s Shangas area had hinted that party may go alone in the Assembly polls.
They had said the high command will take the decision considering the views and aspirations of the party workers and leaders of J&K.
Political observers said it is a signal to ruling National Conference that the Congress no longer wants to forge pre-poll alliance with the party for both Parliamentary and Assembly elections.
“There has never been any pre-poll alliance in Jammu and Kashmir. There was no pre-poll alliance for Assembly elections of 1987, 1996, 2002 and 2008. When it was not then why it should be now,” said Mustafa Kamal, uncle of J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and senior leader of National Conference.
He said the National Conference and the Congress decided to forge alliance after 2008 Assembly polls in the state to form government. “At that time, the Congress did not want to go with the PDP, which had ditched it. We decided to share government with the Congress to prevent President’s rule in the state”. He said this arrangement (coalition with the Congress) was meant for governance.
He said Congress workers may be right by pressing their party leaders not to forge any pre-poll alliance in the state. “People in Jammu and Kashmir don’t want any pre-poll alliance”.
Maintaining that there is no need for any pre-poll alliance, Kamal said his party would fight the elections on its own without any alliance with any party. “In 2008 Assembly polls, our party (NC) bagged 28 seats and was runners up in 20 seats.”
“We had won three parliamentary seats from Kashmir and another from Ladakh in 2009 parliamentary polls. Why should we have spared a winning seat for Congress in Kashmir? This would have been betrayal of trust reposed by people on us. We would never betray their trust,” he said.
Kamal said the party’s parliamentary board will be meeting soon and will take a final decision on any pre-poll alliance. “The board will take into account the aspirations of party workers and leaders”.