Of these three seats, the NC has already introduced the candidature of Gujjar chief Mian Altaf Lahrvi from Anantnag-Rajouri. Although NC president and incumbent Srinagar MP Farooq Abdullah won’t contest this time, the social gathering is but to announce whether or not his son and ex-chief minister Omar Abdullah would change him as its candidate.

For the 2 seats within the Jammu area, each the NC and the PDP are backing the Congress candidates – Raman Bhalla in Jammu and Chaudhary Lal Singh in Udhampur.

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Congress and the NC formally introduced their seat-sharing settlement for J&Okay and Ladakh Monday, with Omar, accompanied by senior Congress chief Salman Khurshid, telling a press convention that the Congress will contest the Udhampur, Jammu and Ladakh seats whereas the NC will area its candidates within the three Kashmir seats.

On whether or not the PDP continues to be part of the INDIA bloc, Khurshid reportedly mentioned, “PDP is in our alliance. Seat adjustment is one part of the alliance and an overall alliance is a different issue. Since J&K is small in area, there is not much scope for seat adjustment despite our best efforts.”

Earlier, the PDP’s chief spokesperson Suhail Bukhari instructed The Indian Express, “We have extended our support to the Congress beyond the three seats that we are contesting. It is an unconditional support without a rider that they must support us. We are doing this because we believe that Congress is the strongest force taking on the hegemony of BJP that is aimed at destroying the democratic, constitutional fabric of the country.”

In October final 12 months, the NC-Congress mix had contested the Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council elections, clinching it by defeating the BJP. Both the allies have been collectively working the Council since, sharing its prime positions.

Gearing up for a tricky electoral battle within the Valley, the PDP is banking on folks’s help on the premise of Mehbooba’s robust stand towards the revocation of Article 370, which granted particular standing to J&Okay, and her pitch for unity to “fight for the larger cause”. Announcing her social gathering’s candidates, she mentioned, “Mere awaaz hi mera manshoor hai (my voice is my manifesto).”
In the 2019 polls, the PDP suffered an enormous setback within the Valley within the wake of its earlier alliance with the BJP, with the NC sweeping all its three seats. In Anantnag, the NC’s debutant candidate, retired decide Hasnain Masoodi, defeated each Mehbooba and senior Congress chief G A Mir. The BJP bagged the remaining three seats together with Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh.

In her first press convention after her launch from 14-month detention following the crackdown on the Kashmir leaders in August 2019, Mehbooba had launched a scathing assault on the BJP, with the flag of the erstwhile state of J&Okay in entrance of her.

Since then, she has attacked the BJP and J&Okay Union Territory administration for its varied selections starting from sacking of workers to “weaponisation” of businesses.

Both Mehbooba and Omar walked with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi throughout his Bharat Jodo Yatra’s closing J&Okay leg in January 2023.
While the PDP has continued to grapple with a few of the baggage of forming its coalition authorities with the BJP in 2014, the social gathering has at all times argued that the choice was to respect the mandate of the Jammu area which had voted overwhelmingly for the BJP.

The social gathering has additionally raked up Omar’s stint as a minister within the NDA authorities beneath Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The cadres of each the PDP and the NC have continued to stay at odds on the bottom though their Gupkar alliance had comfortably gained the District Development Council elections in December 2020.

For the Lok Sabha polls, the NC refused to concede any seat to the PDP, citing the latter’s efficiency within the 2019 polls.
The NC’s cadre within the Valley can be mentioned to have been buoyed by the delimitation of seats. Srinagar has been expanded past Central Kashmir to incorporate some South Kashmir districts, and Anantnag, all the way in which to Poonch and Rajouri.

NC sources mentioned it’s unlikely that any senior INDIA leaders would go to J&Okay for campaigning with a view to keep away from taking sides, leaving the fray for the regional allies to slug it out.