J-K pre-poll alliance with Congress to avoid hung Assembly: Omar Abdullah

The National Conference (NC) got into a pre-poll alliance with the Congress to give people an option to avoid a hung House after the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, Omar Abdullah has said.

The NC vice-president was speaking to reporters during a shikara rally in the Dal Lake in support of the party’s Zadibal candidate Tanvir Sadiq on Sunday (September 22) when he made the comment.

“We could have gone for a post-poll alliance but the alliance has been formed (before elections) to give people an option so that there is no hung Assembly and there is no room for doubt that a government will not be formed,” he elaborated.

Seat-sharing agreement

According to the seat-sharing agreement, the NC is contesting 51 seats, the Congress 32, and the CPI(M) one. The remaining six seats will have a “friendly contest” between the Congress and the NC.

Abdullah also claimed that the BJP would want a hung Assembly, as it would give it an excuse to extend the lieutenant governor’s rule.

“The BJP will want to have a hung Assembly so that they get an excuse to prolong the (lieutenant) governor’s rule but people won’t allow it to happen,” he said.

“BJP won’t get anything from Kashmir”

Asked for his opinion on why top BJP leaders were not campaigning in Kashmir as much as they were in Jammu, the former chief minister said the saffron party was aware that it would not get anything from the Valley.

“The BJP has nothing in Kashmir; it won’t get anything from Kashmir. We are also well aware of the BJP’s attitude towards Muslims. Sixteen per cent population of the country is Muslim, and they (BJP leaders) could not find even one who would be good enough to be made a minister at the Centre. When there is no representation for this population, we know what kind of thinking they have towards Muslims,” Abdullah said.

BJP harping on family rule to “hide failures”

The NC leader further alleged that the BJP was harping on the “rule of three families” in Jammu and Kashmir to hide its failures.

“Jammu and Kashmir has got nothing in the past five years. The BJP has nothing to show. So, the prime minister and the home minister are forced to target the three families. If they had done something, they would not need to do this,” he added.

Lower turnout

Abdullah also said the government should give a thought to the lower voter turnout this year compared to the 2014 Assembly elections in some areas of Kashmir.

“There were some areas where the voting percentage was lower than 2014. For example, in the Noorabad (now DH Pora) segment, there was 80 per cent turnout in 2014, but this time, it was 20 per cent lower (68 per cent). The present government has to think about why it has happened this time despite there being no boycott, and everything, according to them, is normal,” he said.

“Rahul should visit more often”

Asked about Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Kashmir on Monday, Abdullah said it was good and suggested that the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha makes a couple of more visits to take on the BJP.

“It is good that Rahul Gandhi is coming. I would want him to come more often to take on the BJP top brass. The prime minister has visited twice, the home minister has visited thrice, (Defence Minister) Rajnath Singh is not tired of visiting, there are other senior BJP leaders coming. Rahul Gandhi should come to boost the morale of party cadres wherever Congress candidates are contesting,” Abdullah said.

(With agency inputs)