Farooq Abdullah's NC will fight the Lok Sabha polls alone
Farooq Abdullah's NC will fight the Lok Sabha polls alone
Breaking news: In a major blow to the opposition INDIA bloc, the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers-led National Conference has decided to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha elections alone. Speaking about the decision, Farooq Abdullah said the party would fight the general elections on its own and would not affiliate with any political party or faction.
“On the issue of seat distribution, I would like to make it clear that the National Conference will contest the elections on its own. There are no two opinions about it,” Abdullah said.
Farooq, one of the key architects of the INDIA bloc who attended all the meetings of the opposition group, did not reveal why the NC took this sudden decision.
Notably, Abdullah had last month expressed concerns over the lack of consensus among INDIA bloc voters on seat-sharing arrangements. Appearing on former Union Minister Kapil Sibal's YouTube channel, Abdullah stressed the need for reaching an agreement on seat sharing among the members of the INDIA bloc.
“If we have to save the country, we will have to forget the differences and think about the country,” the former three-time prime minister had said.
Notably, Abdullah has also reportedly not ruled out rejoining the BJP-led NDA in the near future.
The development comes after Farooq Abdullah was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case but skipped the summons and informed the investigating agency on Tuesday that he could not appear as he was not in Srinagar where he was asked to depose.
The official said the NC president had informed the ED officials through “an email and a letter” that he was not in Srinagar. The agency had asked him to testify at the ED office in Srinagar on Tuesday.
The 86-year-old politician was last called by the central agency in this case on January 11, but did not appear then either.
The ED probe relates to alleged financial irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association. The former chief minister was charged by the agency in the case in 2022.
The case pertains to alleged siphoning of JKCA funds by transfer to various personal bank accounts of unrelated parties, including those of JKCA office bearers, and through unexplained withdrawals from his bank accounts, the ED said.
NC, PDP still part of INDIA block: Congress
Meanwhile, Congress, reacting to Farooq's announcement that NC would go solo in the Lok Sabha elections, claimed that the Abdullah-led party and Mehbooba Mufti's PDP are still part of the INDIA bloc and will remain so .
#WATCH | Bihar: ON NC chief Farooq Abdullah's statement that NC will contest elections alone, says Congress MP Jairam Ramesh: “Discussions are on. Each party has its own limitations. National Conference and PDP have been part of INDIA bloc and will continue to do so.” continue… pic.twitter.com/lCmTQrjwJJ
— ANI (@ANI) February 15, 2024
“There are conversations going on. Each party has its own limitations. The National Conference and the PDP have been and will remain part of the INDIA bloc,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told news agency ANI.
(With input from agencies)