news details |
|
|
| Congress Stays Away | | | After refusing to contest the bye-elections from Nagrota Assembly seat, the Congress Party opted to skip a joint strategy session called by its coalition partner, the National Conference (NC), to discuss its strategy for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections and the autumn session of the Legislative Assembly, slated to commence from Thursday.
The cracks within the coalition are visible as the Congress is annoyed over the NC not offering it a safe seat for the Rajya Sabha. Despite differences the Congress has said that it will support the National Conference in the Rajya Sabha polls as it is aware of the fact that absence of the party MLAs will help Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The broader message is clear that alliances of convenience often crumble under their own weight.
The NC and Congress came together with the intent of providing a united front, but NC emerged as a senior partner by winning more than 40 assembly seats in the 2024 election, while Congress had to remain content with six seats only.
The current situation suggests that both parties are struggling to reconcile their individual aspirations with coalition discipline. The NC, confident in its regional dominance, seems unwilling to concede much space, while the Congress, trying to reassert its relevance, is unwilling to play a purely supportive role. The party is demanding its share.
The Congress leadership seems to be of the opinion that NC has taken the grand old party for granted and is treating the alliance as a one-sided arrangement. In many ways, this friction has exposed the fragile foundation upon which the alliance was built — one driven more by political compulsion than by shared vision.
The recent developments have brought to fore deeper fissures within the alliance. These fissures could lead to the Congress saying goodbye to the National Conference. However, the NC is aware of the fact that its coalition partner pulling out won’t make any difference as it has enough numbers to run the government.
The Congress leaders have dropped enough hints about them feeling ‘let down’ and ‘betrayed’ by their partner and don’t seem interested in continuing as the alliance partner.
The Congress Party is grappling to make a comeback and the National Conference is treating it like a non-entity. It has left the leaders of the grand old party disillusioned. They are waiting for the high command’s final call on whether to be a part of the alliance or not. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
