Reports indicate that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to arrive in Srinagar on Wednesday to finalise an alliance with the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) as part of the preparations for the upcoming state elections. This visit marks a crucial step as the Congress party aims to secure a significant portion of the 90 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly.

The Congress party is targeting 40 seats following a strong performance against the BJP in the recent Lok Sabha elections. In response, Omar Abdullah, leader of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, has proposed allocating 25 seats to Congress as part of the potential alliance.

Gandhi’s visit comes amid earlier speculation about Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi visiting Jammu. A key focus of Gandhi’s trip will be to discuss the terms of the alliance with Abdullah. Additionally, Congress is keen on including the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (J&K PDP) in the coalition, a move that the National Conference has resisted.

On Tuesday, the newly-appointed Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra stated that the Congress party remains open to a pre-poll alliance with parties opposed to the BJP's policies. He accused the BJP of undermining the “communal fabric” of the region and reaffirmed his party’s commitment to fostering Hindu-Muslim-Sikh unity in the Union Territory.

Regarding the National Conference's manifesto, which includes the restoration of Article 370, Karra reiterated Congress’s stance. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) had condemned the “unilateral, brazen, and undemocratic” abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories by the Centre in August 2019.

Karra noted that there is a positive sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir following Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, with his message of love and brotherhood resonating throughout the region.