Seat-sharing arrangement with Cong to take on BJP as consolidated front: Omar

Srinagar, Aug 27 (PTI) National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress was done with the aim of taking on the BJP as a consolidated front, and form a government which will try to address problems of the people.

A day after the National Conference and the Congress agreed to contest 51 and 32 seats respectively for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, NC president Farooq Abdullah said in a coalition, the constituents have to accommodate each other.

“In a coalition, one has to bear several things. You have to leave some (seats) to gain some (seats). We believe that the final decision taken by the coalition was a very good one. God willing, the coalition will be successful and will form the government here which will try to address the problems faced by the people,” he told reporters in Awantipora area of Pulwama district.

“If our objectives are good, we will succeed,” the senior Abdullah, who was accompanying National Conference candidate for Pampore seat, former Lok Sabha member Justice (retired) Hasnain Masoodi, for filing the nomination papers, said.

Speaking to reporters at Bijbehara in Anantnag district, Omar said, “The seat-sharing agreement with the Congress has been done. The effort was to raise a consolidated front against the BJP and its supporting parties and contest elections against them and to increase the chances of success further”.

Referring to the seat-sharing agreement, Omar said he is aware that some of the leaders, who had worked hard over the past five to 10 years and wanted to contest the polls, were not given the mandate.

“I realise that there are many of our friends who worked very hard for five-ten years and they wanted to contest elections on NC tickets. But, unfortunately, some of them were left out in this seat sharing and we regret that. We would like them to be compensated in the future. They should also get a chance to serve not only the organisation but also the people,” the former chief minister said.

Omar was accompanying National Conference candidate for Bijbehara assembly segment Bashir Ahmad Veeri for filing of nomination papers.

Today is the last date for filing of nominations for the first phase of polls in Jammu and Kashmir.

Omar said while fissures can happen in political families, he was happy that Veeri and his brother were together again.

“I am not just happy that Bashir (Ahmed Veeri) has got the mandate but I am happy that his brother has returned. I don’t like if there is tension in someone’s family due to politics because our (family) too has been affected a lot because of it. Glad to see both the brothers together again,” he added.

Assembly polls are being held in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time since abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

The polls — the first in 10 years — will be held in three phases with the first phase of polling on September 18, followed by September 25 and October 1.

The counting of votes will be done on October 4.