India elections: National Conference to go solo in Jammu and Kashmir, says Farooq Abdullah
Farooq Abdullah with his son Omar Abdullah
In another setback for the opposition INDIA bloc, National Conference President Farooq Abdullah declared on Thursday (Feb 15) that his party would go solo in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
During an interview with India Today, Farooq Abdullah stated that the National Conference would participate in the polls independently, emphasising that there would be no alliances with other political parties. However, he did not rule out the option of returning to the NDA in the future.
The National Conference was previously part of the NDA during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's leadership.
The veteran J&K leader revealed that seat-sharing discussions with the INDIA alliance constituents had failed.
"Regarding seat sharing, I want to make it clear that the National Conference will contest elections based on its own strength. There is no ambiguity about it," Abdullah informed reporters.
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Cracks between the INDIA bloc and the National Conference have been evident since lastmonth when the former chief minister mentioned the possibility of forming a separate alliance if the seat-sharing arrangement was not settled soon.
In January, several prominent leaders of the National Conference in the Jammu regionjoined the BJP.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP and Abdullah's Jammu & Kashmir National Conference won three seats each.
Also read: India General Elections 2024: 986.8 million people registered to vote, says Election Commission
The INDIA bloc, comprising around 25 parties, is struggling to reach a consensus on seat sharing with its regional allies.
This latest blow to the INDIA bloc follows AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal'sannouncement that the party would independently contest all 14 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and Chandigarh. In Delhi, the party has offered the Congress only one of the seven Lok Sabha seats.
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Kejriwal's announcement came weeks after TMC leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared that her party wouldcontest the Lok Sabha polls independently, blaming the Congress for rejecting all her seat-sharing proposals.
(With inputs from agencies)