J&K Political Parties to Put Forward 'Grand Alliance' Against INDI Bloc For Lok Sabha Polls

Jammu and Kashmir: Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the political merury in the Jammu and Kashmir region is rising with several leaders mulling to put forward a united front against the INDI bloc in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

Speculations are rife regarding formation of a grand alliance in the valley region to contest against the INDI bloc parties- People's Democratic Party (PDP) and National Conference (NC).

Altaf Bukhari, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party which he launched in 2020, is reportedly in talks with like-minded parties in J&K to forge a grand alliance for the Lok Sabha elections.  

The grand alliance may witness participation of Sajjad Lone's Jammu Kashmir People's Conference and Ghulam Nabi Azad's Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), claimed sources. 

Meanwhile, the INDI partners- NC and PDP are at loggerheads over seat-sharing arrangements for the Lok Sabha elections. 

Farooq Abdullah-led NC had won all the three parliamentary seats from Kashmir – Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag – in the 2019 elections. Despite drawing blank, the Mehbooba Mufti's PDP sought for a fair distribution of seats in the valley, leading to disagreement between both the INDI bloc allies. 

Addressing the reporters, NC vice president and former chief minister of J&K Omar Abdullah said, “I have already told you that the party (PDP) that stood on number 3 in the last parliament elections has no right to ask for a seat. How many people are there with PDP today who brought them to the third place? If I had been told before joining the INDIA alliance that we would have to weaken ourselves for another member of the alliance, then I would have never joined the INDIA alliance." 

The Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in five phases with voting in each of the five parliamentary constituencies of the Union Territory to be held in each phase, according to the poll schedule announced by the Election Commission on Saturday.

The five Lok Sabha seats that will go to polls in Lok Sabha elections 2024 in five phases are: Baramulla, Srinagar, Anantnag-Rajouri, Udhampur and Jammu.