SRINAGAR: Member of Parliament for the Anantnag-Rajouri constituency and senior National Conference (NC) leader Mian Altaf Ahmed Larvi has sharply criticized the party’s recent pre-poll alliance with Congress for the upcoming assembly elections in J&K. He contends that the alignment has damaged the NC’s political standing and urges the party to avoid repeating such mistakes.
“By aligning with the Congress, the National Conference has harmed itself and set itself back 20 years in politics. They chose to form an alliance, so they should deal with it. I didn’t take any responsibility for it,” Mian Altaf can be heard saying in an undated video in possession of the Srinagar-based news gathering agency Kashmir Dot Com.
“Why should I go to campaign for the alliance? I have my own commitments. What do I need it for? If the National Conference is upset with me, so be it; they are already upset with me, and there is a family feud between Mehbooba and them,” he further said.
His comments reflect growing discontent within the NC regarding the strategic partnership with Congress ahead of the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.
Meanwhile, Mehar Ali, son of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) senior leader and Member of Parliament Mian Altaf, filed his nomination from the Kangan seat last Monday on the Congress-National Conference alliance mandate. The JKNC vice president, Omar Abdullah, who was accompanying Mehar, expressed confidence in Ali’s victory, “given the fact that he is from the fourth generation of his family to contest in elections.”
Larvi’s comments come in the wake of a pre-poll alliance between the National Conference and Congress for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. Under the agreement, the NC will contest 51 of the 90 seats, while the Congress will contest 32 seats. The two parties have also agreed to a friendly contest in some areas, with a few seats reserved for smaller parties.
The seat-sharing arrangement was finalized after discussions between Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, NC leader Omar Abdullah, and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah.
Polling for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections will occur in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1, with the results set to be announced on October 8. (KDC)
