NEW DELHI: National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Friday said that forming a pre-poll alliance with Congress for the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir was a challenging decision for the party. He added that to ally, the party had to “sacrifice” many seats where it believed it had a chance of winning.
Abdullah, who was addressing a party function at the NC headquarters Nawa-i-Subah, emphasised, “This is not only our fight, but of the whole Jammu and Kashmir.If we have to undo the wrongs done to us, it will not only benefit us, but every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir. We are fighting this battle collectively for Jammu and Kashmir.”
“That is why we joined hands with the Congress, even as it was not an easy decision for us, (because) we had to sacrifice those seats where we knew only the NC can give a tough fight,” he said.
The NC vice president asserted that a pre-poll alliance with Congress was necessary to emerge victorious against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly elections.
He explained that there are many low-lying areas including Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri where the NC and Congress “can together fight” effectively challenging the opponents, “that is why we gave the Congress some seats here from the NC’s kitty.”
Making his point valid, Abdullah noted that the first impact of the pre-poll alliance was evident when former Congress leader and Democratic Progressive Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad announced that he would not campaign for his party in the upcoming elections.
Azad in a statement had said, “The unforeseen circumstances have forced me to step back from the campaign trail… The candidates should assess whether they can continue without my presence. If they feel my absence would impact their chances, they have the freedom to withdraw their candidacy.”
Abdullah, who was addressing a party function at the NC headquarters Nawa-i-Subah, emphasised, “This is not only our fight, but of the whole Jammu and Kashmir.If we have to undo the wrongs done to us, it will not only benefit us, but every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir. We are fighting this battle collectively for Jammu and Kashmir.”
“That is why we joined hands with the Congress, even as it was not an easy decision for us, (because) we had to sacrifice those seats where we knew only the NC can give a tough fight,” he said.
The NC vice president asserted that a pre-poll alliance with Congress was necessary to emerge victorious against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the assembly elections.
He explained that there are many low-lying areas including Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri where the NC and Congress “can together fight” effectively challenging the opponents, “that is why we gave the Congress some seats here from the NC’s kitty.”
Making his point valid, Abdullah noted that the first impact of the pre-poll alliance was evident when former Congress leader and Democratic Progressive Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad announced that he would not campaign for his party in the upcoming elections.
Azad in a statement had said, “The unforeseen circumstances have forced me to step back from the campaign trail… The candidates should assess whether they can continue without my presence. If they feel my absence would impact their chances, they have the freedom to withdraw their candidacy.”
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