SRINAGAR: Congress Tuesday set at rest the speculations of early poll in Jammu and Kashmir , as the party’s General Secretary Ambika Soni ruled out an immediate pullout from the coalition government. Ambika Soni, in charge of party affairs in Kashmir, said, “The local leadership has very frankly expressed its views on this. I will put these before the Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Sources, however, said the Congress had put in serious effort to woo Mufti Sayeed for a pre-poll alliance but the PDP patron is learned to have cold shouldered idea in a “diplomatic tone”.
“We still have so many months to go for assembly elections. The coalition government has done work and we expect it to do more till elections. The final decision … will be conveyed to you by our leadership.”
After hectic deliberations about the revival of Congress fortunes in Kashmir on Monday, Soni along with former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad returned to New Delhi on Tuesday. Party sources said the state Congress president Saifuddin Soz would join them later.
“We will give our joint report to the Congress president,” she said.
She said she personally felt that the elected government in the state should complete its full term of six years.
“All three of us jointly discussed well past midnight individually with the local leaders and party functionaries the future roadmap of the party during the assembly elections.
“The interaction has been as detailed as possible. We discussed what we have achieved during the last five-and-a-half years and what else needs to be done.
“I must say the party is extremely disappointed that despite our efforts, we were not successful in the three (Lok Sabha) seats that we contested.
“We have learnt lessons and we don’t want to be caught napping against any future communal polarisation which we feel is harmful to the interests of the people of Kashmir,” she told media.
Ambika Soni said the party was discussing how to rectify the problems those led to the defeat of its two senior leaders in Lok Sabha battle in Jammu region.
She said the Congress fully supported a massive employment package for Kashmiri youths and this would be part of the Congress election manifesto.
She, however, said there was no point in making future promises without fulfilling those already made.
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