Cong seniors decided on split with NC

The Congress decision to go it alone in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls bears the stamp of party veterans, who were keen to distance the organisation from the resentment against Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the National Conference (NC).

The alliance partners of six years had hit a turbulent phase and were keen to part ways ahead of the recent Lok Sabha elections, but had decided to stay together given the impact the split could have had on the coalition government.

The Congress, which had an alliance government with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) prior to the incumbent dispensation, had contested the state Assembly elections in 2008 alone. The party decided to have an alliance with the NC at the instance of Rahul Gandhi, and even gave up its claim for the post of chief minister for three years, an arrangement it had had with the PDP.

The Congress and the NC drew a blank in the recent Lok Sabha polls, ceding political space to the BJP in Jammu and PDP in the Kashmir Valley. The election results further accentuated the need for going it alone among Congress veterans.

A large section of Congress workers and leaders was unwilling to carry the burden of anti-incumbency against Abdullah. They contend that the chief minister’s lack of grip on the administration and slackness in decision-making were key factors behind resentment against the government in the state. Omar Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi's friendship was responsible for the longevity of the Jammu and Kashmir government.

Congress leaders said whenever there were hiccups in the coalition, the young leaders would discuss and sort out issues among themselves, leaving the national party's state unit clueless.

The Congress rank-and-file were dead against continuation of the alliance, which prompted party veterans such as Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni to announce the snapping of ties with the NC.Among the key parties to exit the Congress-led UPA are the DMK, the Trinamool Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, making the coalition virtually irrelevant in the Lok Sabha.

Having ruled the country for 10 years, the UPA has now been reduced to just 60 members in the House, and left struggling to get the post of the Leader of the Opposition.