Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi are in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar where they held a meeting with party workers on Thursday to take stock of the preparations for the upcoming assembly polls in the Union Territory and explore a likely alliance with the National Conference (NC).
It is the priority of Congress, INDIA bloc to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and democratic rights of its people, Rahul Gandhi said in Srinagar after the Congress meeting.
Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge received a rousing welcome amid heavy security upon their arrival on Wednesday. The enthusiastic supporters even stopped Rahul Gandhi's vehicle on the airport road, causing some anxious moments for the security personnel escorting him.
Security was heightened outside the hotel as well where Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will be holding the meeting with party workers on Thursday.
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday visited a famous eatery in the heart of Srinagar to have dinner and later had ice cream at a popular parlour, a security official said.
Jammu And Kashmir Elections
Assembly elections will take place in Jammu and Kashmir in September of this year for the first time since 2014. The elections to 90-seat J&K assembly are taking place in three phases - September 18, September 25 and October 1 - while the counting of votes will take place on October 5.
The two leaders are visiting the UT for key meetings in connection with the three-phased assembly elections.
Extensive discussions with party leaders and workers of 10 districts of the Kashmir valley was expected in the Congress meeting on Thursday, a news agency PTI report said.
Congress Leaders Meets NC Leadership
An alliance with the Congress is final on all 90 assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Adbullah said on Thursday. The announcement came after Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called on the National Conference leadership at Abdullah's residence.
"We had a good meeting, in a cordial atmosphere. The alliance is on track and, God willing, it will run smoothly. The alliance is final. It will be signed this evening and the alliance is on all 90 seats," Abdullah told reporters.
Abdullah further said, "CPI(M)'s (MY) Tarigami is also with us. I hope our people are with us too and that we win with a huge majority to improve the lives of the people."
Asked about Gandhi's assurance earlier in the day that it was the priority of the Congress and the INDIA bloc to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah expressed hope that full statehood with all powers would be restored.
Rahul Visits Top Srinagar Eatery
Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday visited a famous eatery in the heart of Srinagar to have dinner and later had ice-cream at a popular parlour, a security official said.
Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and some other party leaders, left Hotel Lalit in the Gupkar area of the city, where they are staying, to dine at Hotel Ahdoos, one of the finest eateries in the city, famous for Kashmiri 'Wazwan', the person cited in the PTI report said.
The high-profile visit to the busy Residency Road area -- the commercial hub of Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital -- came as a surprise for everyone there.
A huge security ring was seen around the hotel, which overlooks the Jhelum river during the visit.
After dining at the eatery, Rahul Gandhi and the other Congress leaders went to the nearby Pratap Park area, a few metres from the famous Clock Tower, and had ice cream at a popular ice-cream parlour.
