BJP can’t win a single seat without horse trading: CM Omar
Srinagar, Oct 13: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asserting that the party cannot win even a single Rajya Sabha (RS) seat from Jammu and Kashmir without indulging in horse trading.
He said the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections would be a “true test” to determine which political leaders and parties stand with the BJP and who oppose them.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, CM Omar said, “BJP cannot even win one seat without horse trading. They need 30 MLAs to win the fourth seat, but they have only 28. Anybody who abstains or votes in favour of the BJP will be well known to people who will understand who the true friends of the BJP are and who the opponents are.”
Dismissing speculations about last-minute changes in his party’s candidate list, he clarified that the NC had reserved one seat for Congress as part of their understanding within the INDIA bloc.
“We had kept one seat for Congress. Congress has decided not to field its candidate. We felt that the best chances of winning that seat were with a Congress candidate, but Congress felt otherwise. So be it. We will field four candidates, and this election will be a true test of who is with the BJP and who is against the BJP,” he said.
Responding to the BJP’s claims that NC President Farooq Abdullah was denied a mandate by his party, CM Omar said, “Who says Farooq Sahab was not given a mandate? Does anyone have the guts to say that Farooq Sahab wanted to fight the election but did not get a mandate from the party? He himself has decided to step back. This should not lead to any speculation about Budgam because someone who was not ready to contest the Rajya Sabha election would certainly not subject himself to the rigours of an Assembly election campaign.”
Describing Farooq Abdullah as the “guiding light” of the party, CM Omar said, “He is the tallest and most respected leader of J&K and one of the most respected in the country. His role will remain important regardless of where he is.”
Taking a dig at the BJP’s claims of winning three seats, CM Omar said, “If they are claiming they will win three seats, it is money power, muscle power, and the power of agencies. Otherwise, as numbers stand today, the BJP is not in a position to win even one seat.”
He reiterated that the Rajya Sabha elections would expose those secretly aligned with the BJP.
“Anyone who abstains is a friend of the BJP, and obviously, anyone who votes for the BJP is a friend of the BJP. In three out of the four elections, there are candidates against the BJP. Now let’s see what people do,” CM Omar said.
Commenting on the political landscape ahead of the Budgam by-election, he said, “Every election is a test. No election is straightforward. Nagrota is not straightforward for the BJP, and no by-election is straightforward for any party. The NC will put its best foot forward in Budgam and rely on the wisdom of the voters.”
The Rajya Sabha elections in J&K are scheduled for later this month.
These will be the first such elections since the abrogation of Article 370 and reorganisation of the erstwhile state in 2019.
