Non-participation in RS polls benefits BJP: Omar

Baramulla, Oct 14: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the National Conference (NC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are in a direct contest, warning that non-participation in the Rajya Sabha elections would indirectly benefit the saffron party.
He urged all voters and opposition parties to actively participate to ensure the BJP’s defeat.
Speaking to reporters here, the Chief Minister said that People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone’s decision to stay out of the elections would favour the BJP. “You and I know who will benefit from this. I appeal to others not to stay out. Not voting for NC means helping the BJP”, he said.
While addressing the ongoing political alignments within the INDIA bloc, Omar clarified that the alliance between NC and Congress remains intact. “We did not want to field our candidate in the fourth seat. Congress was expected to contest, as it would have given the best chance of success. But since the party chose not to fight, we had to put our candidate there,” he said.
The CM stressed that all opposition parties, including the PDP and Congress, should coordinate to defeat the BJP. “Even though PDP is not our ally, we hope they do not stay out of the election and vote for our candidate. This is a direct contest between NC and BJP,” he said.
On the upcoming elections, Abdullah said the party would campaign on its record and future plans. “We will tell people about the work done in the past year and what we intend to achieve in the next four years. We hope the people of Budgam and Nagrota will place their trust in the National Conference once again,” he added.
The CM also praised the district administration for the effective use of CAPEX and centrally sponsored schemes and urged them to complete ongoing projects in October, November and December to prevent any lapse of funds before March 31.
On regional developments, Omar said, “What happens in Pakistan and Afghanistan will not affect Jammu and Kashmir directly.” He, however, emphasised the importance of peace across the subcontinent. “If our neighbours are fine and relations are stable, we will also be fine,” he said.