SRI NAGAR: After coming together to forge an alliance to form the government in Jammu and Kashmir, the state’s two main political parties National Conference and PDP have ruled out the possibility of joining hands to fight the BJP in the forthcoming Assembly elections. National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and vice presidet Omar Abdullah have said that their party will fight the polls alone, which has been necessitated following the dissolution of the Assembly by J&K Governor Satya Pal Malik last month.
“We will fight the Assembly election on our own. We won’t forge any pre-poll alliance with any party. When we talk about forming the next government on our own, there is no scope of leaving any seat for anyone,” Omar said.His father and three-time J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has also ruled out any chances of an alliance.
The three main parties — NC, PDP and Congress — had last month formed a ‘Grand Alliance’ to form a coalition government in the state. However, the governor scuttled their move and in a surprise, development dissolved the Assembly on November 21 evening after receiving two separate letters — one from PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and another from BJP ally Sajjad Lone — staking claim to form the government.PDP Chief Spokesman Rafi Ahmed Mir also ruled out the possibility of joining hands with NC and Congress.
“There will be no alliance. There is no likelihood of such an alliance in the state for the Assembly polls. Our agenda and constitution is different, and other parties have also their set agenda and constitution,” Mir said.He said the PDP would go alone in the polls and won’t forge an alliance with the party. The PDP, which has been grappling with desertions, recently received a shot in the arm after party president Mehbooba Mufti managed to prevent party’s disgruntled leader and MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig from leaving the party and joining Sajjad Lone’s Peoples Conference.
Baig, who is the founding member of the party, has now been made PDP patron. With two main parties refusing to join hands in the Assembly polls, it is expected to be a fight between BJP and three parties (NC, PDP and Congress) on 37 seats in the Jammu region and four seats in Ladakh, while it would be a contest between NC, Congress, PDP and BJP’s ally Sajjad Lone in 46 seats in Kashmir.