Srinagar

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge arrived in Srinagar for a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Their visit was adjusted due to the Bharat Bandh, and they will now begin their trip to Jammu today.

The leaders are staying at Hotel Lalit Palace by Dal Lake, where security has been increased. Their agenda includes meeting with party leaders and workers to strengthen Congress’s position for the upcoming J&K legislative elections.

Sources indicate that Gandhi and Kharge plan to meet with National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti to discuss forming a pre-poll alliance against the BJP. Congress is reportedly negotiating a seat-sharing agreement with the NC, which will be finalized during this visit. Gandhi will also confer with Pradesh Congress Committee leaders about the seat-sharing strategy.

Recently, Abdullah stated that NC is confident of securing a majority in the J&K Assembly on its own and would not seek a pre-poll alliance. In the previous Lok Sabha elections, Congress and NC had a partnership, but Congress lost seats in Jammu and Ladakh, while NC won in the Valley and faced an unexpected defeat in Baramulla.

J&K has been under Governor’s rule since June 2018, following the dissolution of the assembly and the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Elections for the J&K Assembly are scheduled with the first phase on September 18, the second on September 28, and the third on October 1. Counting is set for October 4, with the entire process concluding by October 6.