Jammu-Kashmir polls: National Conference, Congress in wait-and-see mode prior to forming alliance

New Delhi: Despite National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah's statement that his party intends to contest the J&K Assembly elections alone, political players suggested that the NC and the Congress could form an alliance for the first Assembly election in J&K since Article 370 was repealed and the state was converted into a union territory.

Though both the NC and Mehbooba Mufti's PDP are national allies of the Opposition India bloc, the two parties' traditional turf rivalry in J&K, particularly in the Valley, may prevent them from forming an alliance in the Assembly elections, just as they did in the recent Lok Sabha election. This probable situation, along with the INDIA bloc unity factor, has Congress leaders in Jammu and Kashmir on edge, waiting to see how the NC-PDP equations play out in the coming days before filing nominations for the Assembly elections. The NC and Congress forged an alliance in the LS polls, with the PDP accusing the NC of violating the spirit of the Gupkar alliance.

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The opposition parties will make "revival of statehood" a key election issue. While it may be easier for Valley-based parties to focus on "reviving Article 370" during the campaign, given its national audience, the Congress may maintain a safe and tactical distance on the topic. The opposition could possibly form a limited alliance with the Panthers party and the CPM.

The Congress also faces the task of putting up an impressive performance in the Jammu region, its traditional stronghold where the BJP has established its supremacy post-2014.