Former J&K CM calls out Election Commission over delay of assembly elections

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticised the Election Commission on Tuesday over the delay in conducting assembly elections. He said elections are the citizen's right and those rights are being snatched away.

He demanded that the poll body explain to people why the assembly elections in the Union Territory are not being held. He also questioned if the Election Commission is facing any pressure that is delaying the elections. "If there is any pressure, then the EC should say boldly that they have pressure regarding the elections and can't conduct polls. There must be something fishy."

"Election is our right. If they want to snatch away the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and if that gives them some kind of satisfaction, then do it. We too have self-respect. We won't cow down before them. The Election Commission should answer this, we want to hear from them," he told the media in Srinagar.

Earlier Omar Abdullah said that the BJP is the reason behind not conducting Assembly elections because they are afraid of losing. "BJP is afraid of holding assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir because it knows that it will lose badly not only in Kashmir but also in Jammu. If they can hold elections in Tripura and Nagaland and in Karnataka, why are they not holding them here? Because they know that they have destroyed Jammu and Kashmir and they will lose here badly."

A delegation of politicians from Kashmir including National Conference President and Omar Abdullah's father, Farooq Abdullah, People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, and Congress Member of Parliament Pramod Tiwari met the ECI in March 2023 in Delhi to demand elections. The EC assured them it would look into the matter.

"It's unfortunate that a State which is the crown of India was made a Union Territory. We want a democratic government in Jammu and Kashmir," said Farooq Abdullah.