We will never form Govt with NC: LOP Sunil Sharma

Budgam, Oct 20: Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Sunil Sharma on Monday said that the BJP would never form a government with National Conference (NC).

“We will never form a government with NC nor do we need to,” he said at the public gathering. “Our commitment is to the people of J&K, not power politics. With public trust and support, we will form the government.”

Sharma criticized NC and Congress for practicing 'family rule' and 'political bankruptcy.'

Later, speaking to reporters, Sharma said that the people of Budgam and other central Kashmir districts were growing increasingly disillusioned with the NC’s leadership, which he described as “dynastic, disconnected, and failed governance.”

The by-election in Budgam has taken on heightened political significance, with major parties positioning themselves to make inroads in a region long considered an NC stronghold.

“The NC has ruled Budgam and much of Kashmir like a family estate. But people are fed up with this decades-old slavery. The Abdullah family’s monopoly is collapsing, and the voters are demanding real change,” Sharma said.

He pointed to recent public discontent over governance issues like smart meter installations, power cuts, and inconsistent service delivery as signs of eroding public faith in the NC.

"Even on basic issues like electricity, they've flip-flopped. That’s confusion, not leadership," the LOP said.

Touting the BJP as the only viable and transparent alternative for the people of Budgam, he said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP had rolled out welfare-centric policies aimed at real development, not symbolic politics.

“We want those benefits to reach the ground level, including here in Budgam,” Sharma said.

He said that Aga Mohsin, the BJP’s candidate for the Budgam by-election, represents “a new face, a new direction, and a break from the dynastic politics” that have defined the region for decades.

The LOP said that Aga Mohsin, a young local face with roots in social service, is expected to appeal to a younger voter base seeking accountability and governance over legacy politics.

He criticised the Congress for its decision to not field a candidate in the Nagrota by-election, choosing instead to back the NC nominee as part of a broader opposition alliance.

Calling the decision a sign of weakness and irrelevance, Sharma said, “Congress has no political identity left in J&K. It has handed itself over to the Abdullah family, where decisions are taken not in party forums but in the kitchen of the Abdullahs.”

He said that they have surrendered their ideology, their voice, and their space.

“This so-called alliance is not about unity or principle. It is about political survival and self-preservation,” the LOP said, dismissing the move as a tactical misstep that would further alienate Congress from ground-level voters.

He said that while opposition parties were “busy making secret deals and protecting family interests,” the BJP continues to focus on infrastructure development, including roads, schools, and healthcare, direct benefit transfer schemes and support for marginalised communities, youth empowerment through job opportunities and skilling programmes, national integration, ensuring that J&K develops in sync with the rest of the country.

Sharma said that the Budgam by-election is a test for whether the people want to continue with legacy parties that “take votes but don’t deliver” or whether they are ready to embrace a “politics of performance.”

“We are going to the people with a clear message: No more dynasts. No more broken promises. The BJP offers a clean slate and a clear vision,” he said.