Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee will be holding a crucial meeting of the Election Management Committee in Jammu on Saturday to discuss the party’s strategy for the Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting will be chaired by former J&K chief ministerand leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad. “Election strategyof the party will be discussed at the meeting,” Congress senior vice-presidentG N Monga told the Greater Kashmir.
Apart from Azad, Monga said, the meeting would be attendedby other members that include state Congress chief Ghulam Ahmed Mir, formerminister Nawang Rigzin Zora, former MP Tariq Hamid Karra, former union ministerSaifuddin Soz, former deputy chief minister Tara Chand, former MP MadanlalSharma, former state minister G. M. Saroori and Asgar Ali Karbalai.
Last week Congress appointed Azad as chairman of theCampaign and Election Management Committee (CEMC) for Jammu and Kashmir.
Sources in Congress said that during the meeting dates ofstarting election campaign in Kashmir and Jammu will be decided. “The partywill hold election rallies across the states and dates will be fixed during themeeting,” sources said.
During the last Lok Sabha elections, the then OmarAbdullah-led ruling coalition in the state was decimated with PeoplesDemocratic Party and BJP sharing the six parliament seats in the state.
Sources said that JKPCC has also sent a panel of names tothe party high command which will decide the party candidates from the state.The names are Madan Lal Sharma, Raman Bala, Vikram Aditya, R S Chib, G N Monga,Tariq Hamid Karra, G M Mir, Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed and Saifuddin Soz.
Sources added that talks were going on about stitching up aseat-sharing arrangement for the six Lok Sabha constituencies in the statebetween Congress and National Conference. “The discussions were going on at theleadership level to work out an arrangement of 50-50 seat sharing in theparliamentary elections,” said one of the Congress leaders. “Nothing has comeout as yet, but the decision would be taken soon.”
The senior leaders of the two parties, which had coalitionarrangements in the past as well, have been in touch with each other for quitesome time.