Srinagar: National Conference (NC) Vice President and former Chief Minister of the erstwhile JK state, Omar Abdullah, on Saturday said that independent candidates contesting the assembly elections are no different from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Omar Abdullah in Ladakh. His two sons sitting in the next row.
Addressing party workers in the Shalbugh area of Ganderbal, Omar said that the Union Home Minister had indirectly indicated a post-poll alliance with the Apni Party, Peoples Conference, and Awami Ittehad Party by not mentioning their names in a speech about potential alliances in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Union Home Minister has revealed the names of parties with whom BJP will not form an alliance for the next government but did not mention AP, PC, and AIP,” Omar said.
He also claimed that people who were previously imprisoned are being fielded against him in elections, a strategy that started with the Baramulla Lok Sabha elections and continued into the assembly polls. Omar further explained his decision to contest from Budgam rather than Beerwah as a response to this development.
Without directly naming former party leader Ishfaq Jabbar, Omar remarked that he had not raised concerns about the issues in Ganderbal since 2019 and was instead pressuring him to engage with New Delhi and the agencies to improve relations.
“Those who criticise me and claim that I don’t belong to this constituency should show whether they have done more work here than I have. I am willing to step down if they can prove their contributions exceed mine,” he said.
Omar also held a series of meetings in various areas, including Kachan, Chadoona, Wakura, Batawina, and Safapora, and chaired a workers’ meeting at Beehma Public Park. (KNO)