Congress-NC Alliance Strains In J&K As Rift Over Rajya Sabha Seats Deepens

Last Updated:October 13, 2025, 21:34 IST

The rift, which has been brewing for weeks, intensified after both parties failed to reach a consensus on seat-sharing.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. (PTI file photo)

The alliance between the Congress and the National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir appears to be on the brink of collapse following sharp differences over the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

The rift, which has been brewing for weeks, intensified after both parties failed to reach a consensus on seat-sharing. Although Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s government faces no immediate threat, the friction has exposed widening cracks within the ruling coalition.

The Congress, which holds six seats in the 88-member Assembly, has refused to back the NC’s proposal to jointly contest all four Rajya Sabha seats scheduled for election on October 24. The NC, which commands 41 MLAs and the support of five Independents and one CPI(M) legislator, had offered the Congress one seat, the fourth, but the Congress rejected the proposal, calling it “unviable."

Announcing the decision, Pradesh Congress Committee chief Tariq Hameed Karra said the party’s core committee had reviewed the alliance’s performance over the past year and found little reason to continue with the existing arrangement.

“We unanimously decided not to field our candidate for seat number four, since the safe seats that we had sought — Nos. 1 and 2 — were not offered," Karra said. He added that contesting the fourth seat would be “futile" given the alliance’s numbers.

The NC, undeterred by Congress’s withdrawal, went ahead and named its fourth candidate, party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar, joining Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, Shammi Oberoi, and Sajad Kitchloo, whose names were announced earlier.

Ramzan, a senior leader from Kupwara, lost last year’s Assembly election to People’s Conference chief Sajad Lone. Kitchloo, a former legislator from Kishtwar, was defeated by the BJP’s Shagun Parihar. Oberoi, a longtime NC treasurer, is considered close to Omar Abdullah, while Dar has been part of the NC’s media team.

Reacting to the Congress’s move, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah downplayed the fallout. “They have decided not to field a candidate. We felt that the best chance of winning that seat was with the Congress, and they felt otherwise. So be it," he said. Abdullah, who is also the NC’s vice president, dismissed speculation that the alliance breakdown would destabilize his government.

The NC, as the single-largest party in the Assembly, has a comfortable cushion with 41 MLAs, supported by four Independents and a CPI(M) member. Even without Congress backing, the government currently enjoys a working majority above the halfway mark of 45.

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News politics Congress-NC Alliance Strains In J&K As Rift Over Rajya Sabha Seats Deepens

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