Another Blow To I.N.D.I.A Bloc As NC Decides To Go Solo In Lok Sabha Polls

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah said the party will contest the Lok Sabha polls on its own strength.

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah said his party will contest the Lok Sabha polls on its own strength

Source : PTI

In a series of blows to the Opposition's I.N.D.I.A bloc, a fresh shocker came from its ally, the National Conference (NC) on Thursday after its chief Farooq Abdullah announced that the party would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls "on its own strength". After the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, NC has also decided to fight the polls without the support of the alliance.  

"As far as seat sharing is concerned, NC will contest alone and there's no doubt about it," Abdullah said while speaking at a press conference in Srinagar. 

He also said that there was a possibility that the general elections and polls for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly would be held simultaneously. 

#WATCH | Srinagar: On elections in J&K and seat sharing, National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah says, "I think that elections in both states will be held with the Parliamentary elections. As far as seat sharing is concerned, NC will contest alone and there's no doubt about… pic.twitter.com/e2pLpX3YVB

— ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2024

"I think that elections in both states will be held with the Parliamentary elections," said the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. 

The son of Farooq Abdullah, who is also a leader of the National Conference, Omar Abdullah told reporters: "We continue to remain a member of the INDIA alliance. What the party president Farooq Abdullah talked about today was a reflection of what the cadre of the party feels. The National Conference has been clear with the fact that we would rather fight elections on all seats, but sometimes for a bigger objective, small sacrifices have to be made". 

VIDEO | "We continue to remain a member of the INDIA alliance. What the party president Farooq Abdullah talked about today was a reflection of what the cadre of the party feels. The National Conference has been clear with the fact that we would rather fight elections on all… pic.twitter.com/8nqwQLqBhG

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 15, 2024

Last year in December, the Supreme Court of India — while upholding the validity of abrogating Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir — had directed the Election Commission of India to conduct assembly polls by September 30, 2024.

Reacting to the development, the Congress party said that while every party has its own limitations, the National Conference and Mehbooba Mufti-led Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) will continue to remain part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc. 

"Talks are going on. Every party has their own limitations," said Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, adding, "National Conference and PDP have been a part of the INDIA bloc, and will continue to remain so".