Tariq Hamid Karra, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, told reporters that after intensive deliberations, the party found the seat offered by the NC strategically unviable and decided unanimously to opt out. He accused the NC of sidelining Congress in the alliance’s seat-sharing arrangement.
National Conference has already named three candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls, leaving one vacancy it had reportedly offered to Congress. NC leaders, however, maintain that the offer was in line with electoral calculations and demographics in the Assembly.
The standoff highlights deepening tensions within the INDIA alliance in Jammu and Kashmir. Congress leaders argue that NC’s unilateral decision to field three candidates without prior consultation violated alliance norms. The NC contends that it acted within its majority in the Assembly and strategic interest of allied parties.
In recent weeks, Congress had pushed for a more favourable allocation by seeking either seat 1 or seat 2, which it considered safer. However, the NC reportedly offered seat 4, which Congress leadership assessed as competitive and risky. Karra said the party “would not gamble on a weak proposition.”
With Congress backing out from the fourth seat, the contest is largely reduced to a head-to-head between NC and the Bharatiya Janata Party. The NC-Congress coalition holds enough second-preference votes, but the BJP has a numerical edge in first-preference votes and may leverage independent MLAs for support.
The Election Commission has fixed 13 October as the last date for filing nominations, with scrutiny the following day and withdrawals by 16 October. Polling, if necessary, will occur on 24 October.
Congress’ withdrawal raises questions about its weight within the alliance and its bargaining position in national-level power-sharing discussions. In Jammu and Kashmir, where the INC holds a small number of Assembly seats, the decision underscores its strategic caution in avoiding unwinnable battles while maintaining alliance commitments.
NC’s decision to contest all four seats had already sparked discomfort within alliance ranks. Congress leaders see this as a sign that NC is unwilling to cede ground even to close partners. In response, NC figures argue that it must protect its dominance in J&K’s parliamentary stakes and that Congress’ expectations may not align with local arithmetic.