The key constituents in Jammu & Kashmir of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) — the National Conference (NC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — are hardening their positions over contesting independently in the Lok Sabha election in 2024. This is likely to pose a challenge to the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc of Opposition parties.
The NC’s vice president Omar Abdullah, who toured north Kashmir recently, minced no words on fielding candidates from Kashmir, particularly north Kashmir, which his party won in the 2019 polls. Mr. Abdullah has been advocating within the INDIA alliance that a party should be allowed to retain its seats when its candidates had won the previous Parliament elections.
The NC and PDP are also constituents of the INDIA alliance.
