Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the BJP’s victory in West Bengal was influenced by a “significant role” played by the Election Commission (EC), along with consolidation of Hindu votes and a divided minority vote.
Omar added that the INDIA bloc must clearly define its role in national politics. He said it should be made clear whether the alliance is only for parliamentary polls or also for state elections.
Omar suggested the EC may have lost neutrality during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal. He linked it to BJP gains and alleged that many valid voters were removed from the rolls. On BJP’s performance in the recent Assembly elections, the J&K CM said the party had little presence in southern states.
“So then you look at West Bengal and Assam. Yes, the BJP improved its tally in Assam. There are various reasons for that. You know as well as I do, what those are. West Bengal, I think we need to look at the results very carefully,” he said. "The easiest explanation for the West Bengal result is the serious curtailing of voter list," Omar said.
“Voters found their names missing. People who served in uniform and fought for the country, who were always considered Indian citizens, were suddenly put under stricter checks and not allowed to vote. Something is not right,” he said.
He said the EC played a “significant role” in the outcome, but also said the result had multiple factors. He pointed to over 60 per cent Hindu vote consolidation towards the BJP and a split in minority votes, especially in constituencies with high Muslim population.
“There is no doubt the Election Commission played a significant part in the results, but other factors also need to be seen,” he said. He added that West Bengal results cannot be compared with other states. “The situation was unique to West Bengal. The SIR that was done, the way in which the voter lists were changed, the sort of minute scrutiny that the Election Commission subjected West Bengal to, the role of the central investigative agencies,” he said.
"All of these are situations that at least in recent electoral history of India are unique to West Bengal. So to suggest that we can learn lessons from West Bengal and implement them in other parts of the country, I think would not be correct," he said. Omar had earlier said EC could come under scrutiny if West Bengal results surprised many. However, in the Tuesday interview, he said he does not believe EVMs lead to vote theft.
"What we saw in West Bengal...I know there are a lot of people who believe that the EVMs themselves are flawed. I am not a proponent of that conspiracy theory. But I do believe that the Election Commission has done itself no favours in the way in which it has gone about both the process of delimitation and the process of finalisation of electoral rolls," he said
He cited examples from Jammu and Kashmir and Assam, saying processes were designed in a way that benefited certain parties. "These are clear examples of how the process was done to benefit one party or in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, one party and its allies. And the results speak for themselves. You created seven new seats in Jammu and Kashmir and out of those six seats were won by the BJP. You redrew assembly constituencies to benefit one particular party or its allies. And the same is true for West Bengal as well," he said.
Talking about the INDIA bloc, he said the alliance needs clarity on its purpose. “We need to decide what the INDIA bloc is for. Is it only for Parliament or also for state elections?” he asked. “What happened in West Bengal is unfortunate. Congress and TMC fought each other. Now they both say 100 seats were stolen, but they still fought separately,” he said.
Despite differences, Omar said Congress remains the central force in the opposition alliance. “The Congress is the only party apart from BJP with a pan-India presence. Everyone accepts this,” he said.
"To suggest someone else can assume a leadership role would be incorrect. Kharge Sahib is the president of the Congress, and by virtue of that, he assumes leadership of the INDIA bloc meetings. That is the way it should be," he added. Omar said any Common Minimum Programme would depend on whether the opposition fights elections together in states. He said he would share his views internally within the alliance rather than publicly.
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