The Jammu and Kashmir Congress has decided not to contest the fourth Rajya Sabha seat that the ruling National Conference offered it.
During a long‑lasting meeting in Srinagar, Congress leaders—Tariq Hameed Karra, G.A. Mir, Raman Bhalla, Choudhary Lal Singh and others—concluded that the seat was too risky. They told reporters that the party will leave the choice to its alliance partner, the National Conference (NC).
“All members agreed that the centre wanted a safer seat, either 1 or 2. NC offered us seat 4, which is less secure. We therefore agreed not to field a candidate,” Tariq Hameed Karra said.
The team sent a letter to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to explain their stance, which was then forwarded to Farooq Abdullah. No response has come back yet.
Congress members expressed frustration with governance, development gaps and a lack of coordination in the alliance. Many said the party should exit the NC‑Congress partnership.
The NC has already named its three candidates for the “safe” Rajya Sabha seats it controls. It had offered the fourth seat to Congress, but the BJP has nominated its Jammu and Kashmir president, Sat Sharma, for it. In the final vote, the BJP can comfortably win the fourth seat (28 votes) while the NC‑Congress alliance has only 24 votes.
The election commission announced the Rajya Sabha elections for Jammu and Kashmir on 24 September, after the 90‑member assembly had been out of the political picture since February 2022. The NC‑Congress bloc holds 53 of the 90 seats; the BJP holds 28. Congress holds six seats in the assembly and currently supports the NC‑government from outside.
Source: ianslive
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