Srinagar, September 28: Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Vice President of the National Conference (NC) party, Omar Abdullah, asserted on Thursday that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was reluctant to hold elections in the state, fearing a backlash from voters.
Speaking to the media regarding the possible postponement of Panchayat and urban bodies’ elections in J&K, Omar Abdullah conveyed to reporters that the BJP showed little enthusiasm for conducting these polls in the state due to their apprehension that the electorate would penalize them through their votes.
This statement echoes sentiments expressed by former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and President of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, who made a similar assertion recently.
The criticism directed at the BJP by both the NC and the PDP follows media reports suggesting that security forces had alerted the central government to the possibility of Pakistan’s ISI planning target killings of political activists during the Panchayat and urban body polls. Recent attacks on security forces in Kulgam, Kokernag, and Srinagar City have raised concerns, prompting a reevaluation of the scheduled elections, originally planned for November-December this year.
