J&K dispensation does not want power back in people’s hands: Omar Abdullah

On March 16, while announcing the schedule for Lok Sabha elections and four other states, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said, “The entire administrative machinery said in one voice that they can’t do it simultaneously.”

Former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah. (Express file photo by Shuaib Masoodi)

Former chief minister Omar Abdullah Monday said the current dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir does not want power in the hands of the people, given that the administration had told the Election Commission that assembly polls cannot be conducted alongside Lok Sabha elections.

“Jo maujooda hukumat hai Jammu Kashmir ki, unhone isko sabotage kiya. Kyunki woh chahte nahin hain ki yahan pe iqtidar woh dobara logon ke haath mein ho. Betaj badshah baithe hue hain (The current dispensation has sabotaged. They do not want power to be in the hands of the people (of J&K) again. They are sitting here like uncrowned kings,” he said, ostensibly referring to the Lieutenant Governor.

While all political parties in J&K have been pushing for assembly polls in J&K alongside Lok Sabha polls scheduled to take place in April and May this year, ECI’s announcement on Saturday did not include a plan for polls in the Union Territory.

Omar, speaking on the sidelines of a party function at Kulgam in South Kashmir, pointed out that as per directions of the Supreme Court of India, issued in December, J&K assembly polls have to be concluded before September 30, 2024. “Hopefully people can have their own government then, as the ECI has also stated,” Omar said.

On March 16, while announcing the schedule for Lok Sabha elections and four other states, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said, “The entire administrative machinery said in one voice that they can’t do it simultaneously.” The CEC had also stated that the reason for this as explained by the administration was that each of the 90 Assembly seats would have 10-12 candidates and each of the roughly 1,000 candidates would need to be provided security due to the circumstances in J&K.

This, he said, would lead to an additional requirement of 400 to 500 companies of security personnel, which was not possible while the Lok Sabha elections were on across the country. He said that immediately after the Lok Sabha elections are complete, the security forces would be available. “We stand committed. The Assembly elections will be held soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, with the National Conference digging its heels on contesting all three parliament seats from the Valley, leading to a war of words between the NC and the PDP, Omar said the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) coalition stands as it was and will also hold a meeting soon.

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The PDP had expressed resentment at the NC’s reluctance to set aside the South Kashmir parliamentary seat for party president Mehbooba Mufti. However, the NC argued that it had won all three seats in the last Lok Sabha polls so it sees no reason to cede the constituency to another alliance partner. NC and PDP are both part of the INDIA alliance as well.

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