Now that the counting of votes has begun for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah issued a strong caution to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), cautioning them not to play any false game if they do not find things going in their favor.
   
Omar Abdullah Abdullah said, “We have faith in this election which will depict the democracy of the people; the question is all about the choice that the people want to make in these elections”.

He addressed the media this morning, saying “We are hopeful that we will win. The decision has already been made in the hands of the voters of Jammu and Kashmir, and we will come to know the result by this afternoon.” He declared the election process transparent and warned the BJP not to reverse people’s mandate. “If people’s mandate goes against the BJP, they should not pull off any tricks,” he added.

Confident Of Election Victory

The assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir was a landmark moment since it was the first time when the elections in the state were conducted after a ten-year break. Abdullah emphasized that the party he represented had an alliance with Congress for a significant win, his party did not mention which other party support could be required, and this includes PDP. “Neither have we sought any assistance from them nor did we get any support. Let the results come. We don’t require their support now,” he said.

Congress Candidate Criticizes BJP Leadership

TS Tony, the Congress candidate from the Bahu Assembly seat, said the same thing and claimed that the Congress-NC alliance will form the government with two-thirds majority. He condemned the management of the area by the BJP when he said, “Earlier, people used to believe only statements. Now all the lies have been busted. People don’t trust them.” He also attacked the BJP for alleged practices of undemocratic moves making arbitrary appointments. As MLA appointments strictly lie in the hands of the elected government.

Who Is Omar Abdullah

Omar Abdullah is an Indian politician who has been a member of the erstwhile state Jammu and Kashmir and since 2009 has been the Chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference. He has been the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, succeeding to become the youngest Chief Minister for that state after forming a coalition government with the Congress party in 2009. He also holds the record of being the youngest member of Lok Sabha, Srinagar, and has had an earlier tenure as a Union Minister of State for External Affairs in the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Abdullah was the last Leader of Opposition in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly before its dissolution in 2018, and the state ceased to exist in August 2019. He had been detained under the Public Safety Act in February 2020 but that detention was revoked in March 2020. Throughout his political career, Abdullah was an important participant in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir, with both state and national politics channeled through him.

Election Background

Three phase polls for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly would be held on September 18, September 25, and October 1 that would cover all 90 constituencies. The National Conference and Congress are contesting in an alliance under the banner INDIA while the PDP and BJP will be contesting alone.