INDIA alliance continues to suffer setbacks; National Conference to contest alone in Jammu and Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Even before the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, the INDIA coalition, the coalition of opposition parties, faces another setback. After the Aam Aadmi Party and the Trinamool Congress, the National Conference also came forward with a decision to contest alone. National Conference President Farooq Abdullah has said that his party will contest all the seats alone in Jammu and Kashmir. He clarified that the party will contest in all the five seats and added that there is no alliance with other political parties.

Farooq Abdullah had already expressed his displeasure to the India alliance over the delay in seat sharing. He had also said that if the seat division is not completed soon, it will affect the alliance's chances of victory and cohesion. However, Farooq Abdullah did not reveal the reason behind his decision to contest alone. Meanwhile, national media reports that there is a possibility of Farooq returning to NDA.

Last month, prominent leaders of the National Conference in the Jammu region had joined the BJP. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP and National Conference won three seats each. At the same time, Farooq's decision is a huge setback for the opposition parties including the Congress.