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Congress candidate from Banihal Assembly seat Vikar Rasool Wani said that the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir will see a good fight from the Congress and that the party will lead with a huge majority.
"I am confident that Congress will give a good fight in the upcoming elections. We will lead with a huge majority. We have the issues of statehood, unemployment, job security, land security, and power projects," said the Congress candidate. The Congress candidate also praised Rahul Gandhi for advocating for the restoration of the region's statehood and said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have deep affection for the Leader of the Opposition just as he has for the union territory. "People of Jammu and Kashmir love Rahul Gandhi and he also loves the Union territory. When he first brought the Bharat Jodo Yatra here, I still remember how people of all age groups, from kids to the elderly, covered 20-30 kilometres for his rally on foot. The same love was showered by the people in his first rally for the elections here on Wednesday," Wani told ANI. Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday kicked off the Congress' campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls with two rallies. The rallies were part of the campaign for the party's candidates contesting in the first phase of the elections on September 18. While addressing a rally, the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition advocated for the restoration of the region's statehood, asserting that the withdrawal of its autonomous status has not only snatched the state of its identity but also eroded the rights and resources of its people. Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the current administrative setup in Jammu and Kashmir, drawing a parallel between the region's past monarchical rule and its present governance. The Congress MP highlighted his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and underscored the contrasting visions of his party and the BJP. Rahul Gandhi also assured to fill all the government vacancies after coming to power. Congress and the National Conference have allied for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. As per the seat-sharing formula between the two parties, the National Conference (NC) will contest 51 of the 90 seats, and the Congress will contest 32. The two parties will also contest five seats against each other. They have left one seat each for the CPI (M) and the Panthers Party. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has also extended its support to the Congress and National Conference alliance in the Jammu and Kashmir polls. Jammu and Kashmir has 90 assembly constituencies, with 7 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs). In the previous Assembly elections, the People's Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12. These upcoming elections will be the first in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases on September 18, September 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8. (ANI)
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