The refusal of the National Conference to offer a ‘safe seat’ to the Congress in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls has strained the relationship between the allies in Jammu and Kashmir.

As a consequence, Congress has decided to withdraw from the elections.

In the 90-member assembly, the NC and the Congress have 48 members (NC 42 and Congress 6). With the support of five Independents and the CPI(M), the NC-Congress alliance has 53 members, the BJP has 28, the PDP 3, and the AIP, PC and AAP one each.

The current strength of the assembly is 88 due to the death of a BJP MLA and the vacating of one of the two seats, Budgam, from where Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was elected.

Given the numbers game, the NC is safe in three of the four Rajya Sabha seats. The fourth seat that the NC has offered

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