The announcement was made by senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah and Congress leader Pawan Khera…reports Asian Lite News
Congress and National Conference on Monday announced the seat sharing agreement for the five constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir and one constituency of Ladakh.
The announcement was made at a joint press conference by senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah and Congress leader Pawan Khera.
Under the seat sharing agreement, the Congress will contest from Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh parliamentary constituencies, while the National Conference will contest from Anantnag-Rajouri, Srinagar and Baramulla Lok Sabha seats.
“Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) will fight the elections jointly in all the six constituencies. While the candidates have been announced for the Udhampur, Jammu and Anantnag-Rajouri constituencies, the remaining three candidates for Srinagar, Baramulla and Ladakh will also be announced soon,” Omar Abdullah said.
He expressed confidence that INDIA will sweep all the six constituencies.
Earlier, Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) on Sunday announced candidates for three Lok Sabha seats in Kashmir. PDP leader Sartaj Madni announced that Mehbooba Mufti will contest the general elections from Kashmir’s Anantnag-Rajouri constituency.
Mufti will be in a political battle from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat against Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.
The Lok Sabha polls in the Union Territory will be held in the first five phases on April 19 (Udhampur), April 26 (Jammu), May 7 (Anantnag-Rajouri), May 13 (Srinagar) and May 20 (Baramulla).
Nearly 97 crore voters will be eligible to vote for 543 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country.The elections for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting on April 19. The counting of votes has been scheduled for June 4.
22 candidates in fray for Jammu
One candidate withdrew his candidature on Monday, leaving a total of 22 candidates in the fray in the Jammu Parliamentary constituency.
Monday (April 8) was the last day of withdrawal of nomination in the Jammu Parliamentary constituency.
The candidates, who are in the fray include Jagdish Raj from Bahujan Samaj Party, Jugal Kishore from Bharatiya Janata Party, Naresh Kumar Chib from Jammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party (Bhim), Raman Bhalla from Congress, Ankur Sharma from Ekam Sanatan Bharat Dal, Swami Divya Nand from Jammu & Kashmir Nationalist People’s Front, Rattan Lal from Jammu & Kashmir People’s Conference, Shikha Bandral from National Awami United Party, Qari Zaheer Abbas Bhatti from All India Forward Bloc, Ganesh Choudhary from Hindustan Shakti Sena among others.
Independent candidate Roop Krishen Dhar has withdrawn his nomination.
The constituency is going to the polls in the second phase of general elections to be held on April 26.
Meanwhile, the process of allotting election symbols to the contesting candidates was also completed on Monday. (ANI/IANS)
Cong manifesto will make India strong, secular, says Abdullah
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah on Monday reacted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark about Congress’s manifesto that every page of the document reeks of attempts to “tear India apart” and said that the manifesto is to make the country strong and to keep it secular.
“I don’t think the manifesto is to break the country. I think the manifesto is to make the country strong and to keep it secular. That is what it is. And if anybody thinks otherwise, then they are already dividing the nation in their own ways,” the National Conference told reporters.
Speaking on Peoples Democractic Party (PDP) contesting the election, Abdullah said, “People know what we stand for. And beyond that, I don’t need to express anything.”
PM Modi on Saturday launched an attack on Congress and said that the party’s manifesto is a “bundle of lies” and every page of the document reeks of attempts to “tear India apart.”
Congress manifesto was released at the party headquarters by party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on Friday.
Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Ajmer, the Prime Minister said that the manifesto reflects that the thinking of the Congress resembles those of the Muslim League during the pre-Independence period.
“Yesterday the Congress Party released its manifesto, a bundle of lies. Every page of this smells of breaking India into pieces. The same thinking is reflected in the Congress manifesto as was present in the Muslim League at the time of independence. Congress wants to impose the views of the Muslim League of that time on India today,” PM Modi said.
The Congress party’s election manifesto focuses on ‘Paanch Nyay’ or five pillars of justice, including ‘Yuva Nyay’, ‘Naari Nyay’, ‘Kisaan Nyay’, ‘Shramik Nyay’ and ‘Hissedari Nyay’ as well as the guarantees made by it to the people as part of its poll promises for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The Lok Sabha polls in the Union Territory will be held in the first five phases on April 19 (Udhampur), April 26 (Jammu), May 7 (Anantnag-Rajouri), May 13 (Srinagar) and May 20 (Baramulla).
The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4. (ANI)
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