Omar Abdullah, Vice President of the National Conference (NC) and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, asserted on Saturday that the people of J&K, particularly in Kashmir, will not support any political party with ties to the BJP.
In an interview, Abdullah contended that there is no common ground among various parties contesting the upcoming elections.
“It’s impossible that the people of J&K, particularly from Kashmir, will consider any party born with a relationship with BJP,” he said.
The former Chief Minister did not express concern about the growing number of independent candidates in the state elections. “When didn’t you see independents fighting? In the 2002 government, when Mufti Saahab allied with the Congress, there were at least 14 or 15 independents at that time,” Abdullah remarked.
He acknowledged that independents have long been a part of J&K politics and was not surprised by their presence.
However, Abdullah voiced concern over the proliferation of new political parties such as the People’s Conference and the JK Apni Party, which are seen as proxies for the BJP in the forthcoming elections.
He criticised these parties, particularly the Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari, as lacking credibility.
“Let’s take, for example, the party which was given so much importance by Delhi, the Apni Party, and Altaf Bukhari. PDP virtually fell apart and sort of reformed in the form of the Apni Party,” Abdullah said. He added, “Today, the Apni Party has almost nobody. They lost their deposits in both the Parliament seats that they fought in. I don’t think the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly Kashmir, are ready to take any party that is born with a relationship with the BJP.”
On the shifting stance of the BJP, Abdullah noted, “That was different BJP as they talked about ‘Insaaniyat, Jammuriyat, Kashmiriyat.’”
The NC-Congress alliance has forged a pre-poll coalition against the BJP, emphasising the need for a united front to challenge the ruling party.
The elections in the UT are scheduled to be held in three phases: September 18, 25, and October 1, with the counting on October 8.
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