Kharge, Gandhi to explore Congress’s J&K alliance options during visit to Srinagar, Jammu ahead of upcoming election

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with leader Rahul Gandhi. FIle
| Photo Credit: PTI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi will be in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) and Thursday (August 22, 2024), where they are expected to explore possible alliances while taking stock of the party’s preparations for the upcoming Assembly election.

“On 21st and 22nd August, Hon’ble Congress President Shri Mallikarjun @kharge ji and Leader of Opposition Shri @RahulGandhi ji will be visiting Jammu and Srinagar for key meetings in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections,” Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal announced in a post on X.

On Monday, the Congress top brass, including Mr. Kharge, Mr. Gandhi and Mr. Venugopal, met members of the screening committee of poll-bound States, including Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Haryana, apart from the Union Territory of J&K. These panels will shortlist potential party candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections where youth, winnability and loyalty are expected to be the major factors at play.

Alliance discussions

The meeting also held extensive discussions on alliances for the Assembly polls. “I will be going to J&K and consult local leaders on issues such as alliances. Who should we have an alliance with, what kind of equation should we have — there will be a discussion on all this,” Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who heads the screening panel for J&K, had said on Monday.

While the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are both part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, the Congress has allied with the NC in past elections. In the recent Lok Sabha election, however, the party did not have any seat-sharing arrangement in J&K.

The Union Territory will vote in three phases, scheduled for September 18, September 25, and October 1. The J&K results will be declared on October 4, along with the results for Haryana, which will vote on October 1.

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