The National Conference is open to a strategic post-poll alliance with the People's Democratic Party to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party out of power after the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election, NC leader and ex Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said Monday afternoon.
"Why not..." Mr Abdullah asked reporters when asked about an alliance, "How does it matter? If we all work for the same thing... for improvement in the condition of the people of the state. We can be rivals in elections but I have no objections. I am sure Congress will not either."
Mr Abdullah, 86, however, ruled out any chance of staking claim to the Chief Minister's post should his alliance win the election. "I will not be the Chief Minister...let this be clear. I have done my job. My problem will be - how can we make a strong government..."
He also said he had no problem approaching elected independent lawmakers for support, but warned, "I will not go beg before them. If they feel they can strengthen the state, then welcome."
The NC and the Congress are allied under the INDIA bloc umbrella.
The PDP was also invited to join the alliance but a seat-sharing deal could not be worked out, resulting in former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's party contesting independently.
However, with exit polls for tomorrow's counting of votes suggesting a hung Assembly, the PDP could end up playing 'kingmaker' in J&K's first state election in a decade.
Exit polls indicate the NC-Congress alliance will win the most seats but could fall short of the majority mark of 46 MLAs in the 90-member House. The PDP, which is projected to win between four and 12 seats, could hold the key - for either the NC-Congress or the BJP.
A NC-PDP tie-up was also mooted by Zuhaib Yusuf Mir, the latter's candidate for the Lal Chowk seat in Srinagar. Mr Mir said the PDP is open to joining the NC and the Congress to ensure the BJP does not grab power in the former state.
"PDP will have an important role in forming any secular government... we have said we are ready to take any step to save the identity of Kashmir but, for this, it is important we form a government against BJP and not with them," he said.
However, not everyone in the PDP and NC camps seems to share that view. PDP boss Mehbooba Mufti's daughter, Iltija, said any talk of an alliance before results are declared is "unnecessary" while Farooq Abdullah's son and senior National Conference leader Omar Abdullah sought to "put a lid on all this premature speculation".
Senior PDP leadership will take a call on extending support to a "secular front" only once results are declared, Ms Mufti posted on X, "This is our official stand."
"They haven't extended support, they haven't offered support and we don't know what the voters have decided yet, so I really wish we could put a lid on all this premature speculation for the next 24 hours," Omar Abdullah said.
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