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Congress, National Conference announce alliance for Lok Sabha elections

The Congress and INDIA alliance partner National Conference on Monday announced the seat sharing agreement in Jammu and Kashmir for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “Congress candidates will contest from Udhampur, Jammu and Ladakh Lok Sabha seats and National Conference candidates will contest from Anantnag, Baramulla and Srinagar Lok Sabha seats,” National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah announced in a joint briefing. The seat sharing deal between the two parties comes day after Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) announced its candidates for three seats in the Kashmir Valley. Congress assured us support on 3 Lok Sabha seats in Valley: Omar The PDP announced candidates after it decided to contest on all seats alone, blaming Omar Abdullah for ‘non-cooperation’ over seat decision. “When the INDIA bloc's meeting took place in Mumbai, I said there that since (NC president) Farooq Abdullah is our senior leader, he will take a decision (on seat-sharing) and will do justice. I had hoped he would keep the party interests aside," she had said. National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah won't contest Lok Sabha polls: Omar Responding to Mufti's charge, Abdullah said,"What can I say about this? It is their own will. How can I stop them? We announced candidates for the three seats of Kashmir based on their own formula."

A file photo of Rahul Gandhi with National Conference president Farooq Abdullah in Lakhanpur, J&K,

Omar Abdullah, who served as the J&K chief minister during the NC-Congress coalition rule between 2008 and 2014, said,"They told us that the candidates will be decided on the basis of the 2014 assembly polls. The decision was made that whoever had won the assembly seat will contest from that seat. So, in this parliamentary poll, the same formula was applied. Wherefrom we had won, we decided to field candidates." The Lok Sabha polls in the Union Territory of J&K 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 take place on June 4.