Owais Gul
Srinagar, Oct 13: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections will act as a test of political loyalties in Jammu and Kashmir, claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot win even a single seat without indulging in horse trading.
He said the National Conference (NC) will contest all four seats independently after the Congress decided not to field any candidate.
The CM said that BJP cannot win even a single Rajya Sabha seat without indulging in horse trading, adding that the upcoming elections will reveal who truly supports the saffron party and who stands in opposition to it.
Speaking to reporters here, Abdullah said the NC had initially reserved one seat for the Congress, but the latter decided not to contest.
“We had kept one seat for Congress, believing they were best positioned to win that fourth seat. However, they chose not to field a candidate,” Omar said, adding that the NC would now contest all four Rajya Sabha seats independently.
“This election will show us who stands with the BJP and who stands against it. Anyone who abstains or votes in their favour will be exposed before the people,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the BJP is two votes short of the required 30 to win the fourth seat. “They have only 28 MLAs. There’s not a single MLA beyond those 28 who have supported them last year,” he said. “If they claim victory beyond that, it will only be through money power, muscle power, or the misuse of agencies.”
Responding to the BJP’s claim that NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah was denied a mandate, Omar clarified, “Who says Dr Farooq was not given the mandate? He himself chose to step aside. No one in the party stopped him.”
He added that Dr Farooq would not contest from Budgam either, adding, “If he didn’t wish to contest a Rajya Sabha seat, he surely won’t take on an Assembly campaign.”
Calling Dr Abdullah “the tallest leader of Jammu and Kashmir”, the CM said his role remains that of a guiding light for the NC.
On the Budgam bypoll, Omar said, “No election should be taken lightly. We will put our best foot forward and leave the decision to the wisdom of the people.”
Taking a swipe at PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, Omar said he does not comment on issues he lacks knowledge about, unlike her. “Mehbooba Mufti speaks on every issue. I don’t speak about things I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t even know how much she understands about relations between India and Afghanistan.”
