Omar Abdullah Set to Lead Held Kashmir After Opposition Defeats BJP

Omar Abdullah

NEW DELHI: Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of India-held Jammu and Kashmir, is poised to return to leadership after his party, the National Conference (NC), secured a significant victory in the region’s recent state elections.

Abdullah’s National Conference, in alliance with the Indian National Congress, claimed nearly half of the available seats, marking a major political shift in the disputed region.

The National Conference won 42 out of the 90 seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly, while its ally, the Congress, added eight more seats, bringing the alliance’s total to 50.

This victory gives the NC-Congress alliance a clear majority in the union territory, which has been awaiting the restoration of statehood, a promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.

Although the BJP performed better than ever before in the region, securing 29 seats, the National Conference’s win signifies a significant blow to Modi’s party in Jammu and Kashmir.

This election marks the first state election in Jammu and Kashmir since 2014, and its outcome is seen as a response to the Modi government’s controversial decision to revoke the region’s autonomy and statehood in 2019.

Omar Abdullah, who is also the Vice President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), expressed confidence that the alliance will push forward efforts to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, which he says was unjustly stripped away by the ruling party.

While the Congress-NC alliance celebrated their victory in Jammu and Kashmir, the mood in the Congress camp was soured by an unexpected defeat in Haryana.

Despite exit polls predicting a win for Congress, the BJP managed to secure 48 seats in the 90-member Haryana assembly, leaving Congress trailing behind with 36 seats.

This marked the BJP’s third consecutive victory in Haryana, which was hailed as a major success by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress leaders, however, were quick to challenge the results in Haryana. The party’s general secretary, Jairam Ramesh, accused the BJP of manipulating the outcome through tampered electronic voting machines (EVMs) and an election commission that he claimed was “handpicked” by the ruling party.

Ramesh alleged serious issues with the vote counting process and the functioning of EVMs in 14 constituencies, vowing to take the matter up with the Election Commission.

In a press conference alongside Congress’ media head, Pawan Khera, Ramesh described the results in Haryana as “totally unexpected” and claimed that the will of the people had been subverted.

He suggested that the results were contrary to the ground reality and the public’s desire for change, asserting that the Congress had been unfairly deprived of victory.

Despite these allegations, Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude to the voters in Haryana for granting his party a clear majority.

He attributed the BJP’s win to its “politics of development” and praised his party workers for their dedication and efforts during the campaign. Modi also highlighted the role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in supporting the BJP’s campaign.

The dual victories in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir have provided the BJP with a boost in the face of growing criticism that the party has been losing support.

While the party’s best-ever performance in Jammu and Kashmir is notable, the Congress-NC alliance’s win in the region underscores the ongoing political battle over the future of the disputed territory. As Omar Abdullah prepares to take the helm in Jammu and Kashmir once again, both sides are gearing up for further political challenges in the region and beyond.