By IANS,
New Delhi : National Conference president Omar Abdullah Monday said his party and the Congress have a similar political agenda and the two have no problems to form a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah, who was earlier nominated as his party’s chief ministerial candidate, flew down to Delhi for talks with the Congress over a possible alliance with the Congress.
Abdullah arrived here in the evening for a meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders.
“Coalition itself is a compromise and since the basic agenda of the National Conference doesn’t differ from that of the Congress, it should not be a problem,” Abdullah told reporters.
Abdullah said he has received positive signals from the Congress otherwise he would not have come to Delhi.
The National Conference, which emerged as the single largest party in the state assembly elections with 28 seats, has been trying to warm up to the Congress while the latter is yet to spell out its strategy saying the party was exploring all options.
With the 17 elected legislators of the Congress, the two parties can put together an alliance. Between them they have 45 legislators — one above the number needed to form the government.
Peoples Democratic Party, which is the second largest party, is also wooing the Congress to form the government. But the Congress plus PDP make 38, still six short of the required number.
Abdullah said: “There is a big difference between the basic agenda of the Congress and the PDP.”
“The Congress has six years of coalition (experience) with the PDP. The PDP ditched the Congress at the last moment,” he said.