National Conference not confident of winning J&K elections

NC-Congress alliance might be at a disadvantage in Kashmir, while BJP aims to benefit from Hindu-majority seats.

- BADAR BASHIR

With the conclusion of Kashmir leg of elections which has 47 Assembly seats, the National Conference top leadership led by Farooq Abdullah, are seen to be less confident of winning the Assembly elections on its own with its pre-poll alliance partner Congress.

Several leaders at the top suggest that the alliance will fall short of majority.

According to the assessment of several experts, the alliance partners Congress and NC could lose at least 10 seats in the Kashmir Valley where Sheikh Abdul Rashid (popularly known as Engineer Rashid) has created a stir and could take around half and dozen Assembly seats. Another party that has the potential to take around half a dozen seats in the Valley is People's Democratic Party (PDP). Apart from the major parties, Sajad Lone's People's Conference and Altaf Bukhari's Apni Party are both pursuing to win two seats each.

A political analyst said, "Lone and Bukhari's party are suffering in the Valley.