New Delhi: The Congress leadership is learnt to have conveyed to its ‘ally’ National Conference (NC) its wish for a Rajya Sabha seat from Jammu and Kashmir, a move that is also being seen in political circles as Congress’ reality test on the state of its coalition ties with the Abdullahs-led party.

The Congress functionaries said the leadership communicated its wish to the NC before the Election Commission on Monday notified elections for the four RS seats from the union territory later this month.

The Congress’ wish comes despite the party having only six MLAs in the J&K assembly. But, the party functionaries have pressed their case by pointing to three arguments; that the Congress has not taken any ministerial berth in the Omar Abdullah government, it wants to accommodate a Jammu representative in RS seat and that given NC, Congress and like-minded parties together have the strength to win three of the four RS seats (with BJP in a position to bag one), the NC should settle for two and share one with the Congress.

However, with RS elections to be held in three rounds (same day) –– for a seat each in the first two rounds and for two in the third round ––, political circles in J&K feel the ball is in the court of the National Conference, with 41 party MLAs and additional support of five independents (besides ally CPI-M’s one). The NC is in a position to decide whether it should be showing “generosity” to Congress or aim to win for itself all the three winnable seats, leaving the Congress in a tight spot given the BJP, with 28 seats, has raised the stakes in the RS poll ring by deciding to fight for each of the four seat, thus setting the cat among the pigeons more so as party whips are not applicable. The role of TDP (3), AAP (1) and some independents are being closely watched.

The real state of NC-Congress ties has been a matter of speculation post-assembly poll and some sections feel the former’s stand on the Congress’ RS wish list will bring clarity on which way it is going.