NC sets up poll campaign panels for Jammu province

The National Conference, which has sealed an alliance with the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, Saturday announced setting up of two election campaign committees for the twin Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Udhampur.

The party also set up a four-member campaign coordination committee for the province.

NC is supporting Congress candidates Vikramadatiya Singh for Udhampur and Raman Bhalla for Jammu Lok Sabha seats. In return, the Congress is not fielding any candidate against NC president Farooq Abdullah who is seeking re-election from Srinagar parliamentary constituency.

As per the agreement, the other three seats - Anantnag, Baramulla and Ladakh - will witness a "friendly contest" between the two parties to defeat their opponents.

Provincial president Devender Singh Rana constituted the election campaign committees for Jammu and Udhampur lok sabha constituencies besides a campaign coordination committee, a spokesman of the NC said.

He said former minister and party state secretary Surjeet Singh Slathia would head the 32-member campaign committee for Udhampur parliamentary constituency while senior leader and former minister Ajay Kumar Sadhotra will head the 45-member panel for Jammu constituency.

The four-member campaign coordination committee would be headed by state secretary Rattan Lal Gupta, the spokesman said.

"All the district and block committees will function as the election committees for the parliamentary elections," he said.