Congress top brass to meet in Srinagar
Party leadership to discuss stand on RS polls, assembly by-polls
Srinagar: Top leaders of Jammu and Kashmir Congress will meet here on Sunday to discuss party strategy for the forthcoming polls to the four Rajya Sabha seats and bypolls to the two assembly seats.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra will chair the meeting at the party headquarters in Srinagar. Key party leaders from both the Kashmir and Jammu regions will attend, party sources said.
They said the Congress leaders will finalise their strategy for the forthcoming polls to four Rajya Sabha seats.
Congress had sought support of the ruling National Conference in the election to one of the four seats.
National Conference on Friday named candidates for only three Rajya Sabha seats, saying that it has left one seat open as talks with Congress were going on.
The Rajya Sabha polls are scheduled to be held on October 24.
Congress sources said the party meeting will also deliberate on its stand on bypolls to the Budgam and Nagrota assembly segments, where voting will be held in November.
Notably, the ‘deadlock’ within the ruling alliance continues over the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. While the National Conference is offering the ‘risky’ seat to the Congress, the latter is pushing for one of the three ‘safer’ seats.
Sources said that during negotiations with the Congress high command, the National Conference offered the competitive seat to its alliance partner. However, the Congress is insisting on one of the three safer seats for its candidate.
Sources further added that the Congress may choose not to contest the ‘risky’ seat, if NC remains adamant on its offer given that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds a clear advantage on it.
“Talks between the leadership of both parties are still underway. The Congress may opt to stay away from the contest if they don’t concede a safer seat,” sources said.
While the alliance is expected to comfortably win three seats, the BJP holds an advantageous position on the fourth. The alliance has 24 votes, whereas the BJP commands 28 votes. (with inputs from PTI)
