Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir, where the assembly elections will be held for the first time after abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into union territories on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss election related issues.
In a post on X, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said, “On 21st and 22nd August, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi ji will be visiting Jammu and Srinagar for key meetings in preparation for the upcoming assembly elections.”
The visit of the Congress leaders come in the wake of the Election Commission announcing the schedule for the three phase elections in the erstwhile state of J&K to discuss the election preparations and seat sharing deal with the Farooq Abdullah-led NC, sources said.
The source claimed that Rahul Gandhi is also set to have a detailed discussion with the party leaders and visit Vaishno Devi shrine during his two day visit.
On Monday, Kharge chaired the meeting of the Screening Committee members, which was also attended by the incharge of the J&K.
The Congress is all set to hold the CEC meeting to finalise the candidates for the upcoming elections. The elections for J&K will be condictedin three phases — September 18, 25 and October 1 and counting of votes will take place on October 4.
The Central government had abrogated the Article 370 and bifurcated the state into two union territories of J&K and Ladakh in August 2019. The assembly elections in the erstwhile state was last held in 2014. Since 2019, Jammu and Kashmir has been governed as a Union Territory, with key powers resting with the Lieutenant Governor.
In the last Assembly polls held in 2014, the BJP and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) formed a coalition government, with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as the Chief Minister.
After Sayeed’s death in January 2016, his daughter Mehbooba Mufti succeeded him following a brief period of Governor’s Rule.
In June 2018, the BJP walked out of the PDP-led coalition government, leading to the dissolution of the Assembly by then-Governor Satya Pal Malik in November of that year. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has not had an Assembly.