Congress extends full support to NC candidates

Srinagar, Oct 23: Ending days of political speculation, the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Thursday announced its decision to extend full support to the National Conference (NC) candidates in the J&K Rajya Sabha elections on Friday.

Addressing a news conference here, JKPCC President Tariq Hameed Karra said the decision was arrived at after detailed deliberations with party legislators and consultations with the party high command in New Delhi.

“After considering the sensitivities of J&K and our party’s secular ethos, we have decided to back the NC candidates to prevent the BJP from gaining ground,” Karra said, describing the move as both a “moral and political decision” aimed at safeguarding the democratic and secular identity of J&K. “Despite our differences with the NC on several issues, we chose the path of unity over division,” he said.

Karra said that all six Congress MLAs – Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed, Nizamuddin Bhat, Irfan Hafeez Lone, Iftikhar Ahmed, and him - had unanimously supported the decision. “A party whip has been issued, and all members will vote for the NC candidates,” he said.

Appreciating the spirit of cooperation between the two parties, Karra also praised NC candidate Shammi Oberoi for his role in fostering mutual understanding.

“He helped turn negotiation into dialogue and disagreement into coordination,” he said.

Reiterating the Congress’s firm stance against the BJP’s political expansion in the region, Karra said, “Our fight is for preserving J&K’s pluralistic and constitutional values.”