The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Friday issued show-cause notices to several party leaders who have filed nominations as Independent candidates for Assembly seats allocated to its ally, the National Conference (NC). The Congress has labelled this move a “breach of alliance unity” and “against the alliance spirit,” according to a report by The Indian Express.
The NC and Congress had formed a pre-poll alliance last month ahead of the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. As per the seat-sharing arrangement, the NC is contesting 51 of the 90 Assembly seats, while the Congress is contesting 31. For five seats, where negotiations did not yield a conclusive result, the parties agreed to a “friendly contest.” Of these five seats, only one (Sopore) is located in the Kashmir Valley, with the remaining four in the Jammu region.
Several Congress leaders, however, have chosen to run as Independent candidates for seats designated to NC, disrupting the alliance’s electoral plans. Notable among them is former Srinagar district Congress president Imtiyaz Khan, who is contesting from Eidgah in Srinagar against veteran NC leader Mubarak Gul. Additionally, Congress leader Waseem Shala has filed his nomination for the Khanyar seat in Srinagar, where NC’s Ali Mohammad Sagar is contesting. Similarly, former Congress leader Asif Ahmed Beigh is running for Habba Kadal against NC’s Shamim Firdous, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat is contesting the Lal Chowk seat against NC’s Sheikh Ahsan, and Irfan Shah is contesting Central Shalteng against J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra.
Though the Congress has yet to specify the exact number of members who received show-cause notices, these seats had been part of the seat-sharing negotiations with the NC. Sources within the NC had earlier accused the Congress of being “unreasonable” in its demands during the negotiations.
In an official statement, the Congress said it has asked the Independent candidates to provide explanations for their actions within three days. The party has warned that failure to comply will lead to strict disciplinary action.
