Srinagar:

National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah has said that seeking the restoration of Article 370 from the BJP, the very party responsible for its removal is nothing short of “foolish.” However, he added that this would not deter his party from keeping the issue alive and continuing their efforts.

Mr Abdullah’s remarks come in the aftermath of the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, in which the NC-Congress alliance emerged victorious. 

“Our political stand will not change. We have never said that we will remain silent on Article 370 or that Article 370 is not an issue for us now. I have said this many times before the elections that hoping for the restoration of Article 370 from the people who snatched it will be foolish,” he said.”But we will keep this issue alive. We will continue to talk on this and hope that tomorrow there will be a change of government in the country, there will be a new setup with whom we can discuss this and get something for J-K.” 

Mr Abdullah called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil his promise of restoring J&K’s statehood, stripped in 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated. This call came as the NC-Congress alliance made the restoration of statehood a key election plank. “The Prime Minister is an honourable man,” Mr Abdullah told NDTV, “and I hope he lives up to his word.”

Citing PM Modi’s promise made during Parliament and various public rallies, Mr Abdullah said that the restoration of statehood would proceed without unnecessary delay. He rejected the idea that statehood was contingent upon the BJP forming the government in J&K, saying, “Nowhere has the BJP ever said – first there will be our government and then statehood. The PM never said that. People of J&K have spoken and I hope the Prime Minister will now be magnanimous and restore statehood at the earliest.”

Mr Abdullah said the election results as a clear rejection of the 2019 decision to scrap Article 370. The NC secured 42 seats in the 90-member Assembly, forming a majority with its Congress ally. He said the outcome reflected the people’s strong stance against the BJP’s policies, particularly in Kashmir, which overwhelmingly voted against the BJP.

Mr Abdullah won both the Budgam and Ganderbal seats, a big recovery after his setback in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. As J&K prepares for a new government, Mr Abdullah stressed the importance of a “healthy working relationship” with New Delhi.

Mr Abdullah, however, red-flagged the strained relationship between J&K and the current Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, urging the LG to foster better ties with the incoming government.

New Delhi:

National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah has expressed strong reservations about the Centre’s potential move of nominating five BJP MLAs to the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Mr Abdullah cautioned the Union government and Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha against making these nominations, warning that it could lead to unnecessary political conflict.

Under the rules governing Jammu and Kashmir, the Lieutenant Governor has the authority to nominate five members to the Legislative Assembly, which currently consists of 90 elected members. If these five nominees are from the BJP, as is speculated, it would increase the strength of the assembly to 95 members, thereby shifting the majority mark from 46 to 48.

“I would suggest them to not do it (nominate from BJP). Nominating these five will not change the government, so what is the use of it? You would unnecessarily nominate five people to sit in Opposition,” Mr Abdullah said. 

READ | “Analysing Unexpected Results”: Rahul Gandhi On Congress’s Mixed Bag

While the BJP would still be unable to form the government – having won 29 seats – the increase in the majority mark would narrow the NC-Congress alliance’s lead to just one seat above the required threshold. “Independent candidates are talking to us, and they will join us, so our lead will go up,” Mr Abdullah stated.

Mr Abdullah also warned of a potential legal battle if the nominations proceeded. “There would be a fight as we would have to approach the Supreme Court and appeal against it,” he said, adding that this could strain J&K’s relationship with the Centre at a time when cooperation is crucial. “There would be tensions in our relations with the Centre from the first day, a relation that we want to build.”

The NC-Congress alliance emerged victorious in the first J&K elections since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, securing 49 out of 90 seats. Mr Abdullah won both the constituencies he contested from –  Budgam and Ganderbal – with a comfortable majority.

READ | “PM An Honourable Man, Hope He…”: Omar Abdullah’s Key Ask After J&K Win

With 42 seats for the NC and six for the Congress, the alliance has comfortably crossed the initial majority mark of 46. In contrast, the BJP won 29 seats, an improvement from its previous tally of 25 in 2014 but insufficient to take control.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) also won one seat, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) faced a steep decline, winning only three seats compared to its 28 in 2014. The CPI(M)’s Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, a prominent figure from Kulgam, criticised the Centre’s policies, saying, “The vote of the people is against the BJP government and its policies.”

The NC has emerged as the dominant force once again. “There were attempts to destroy the NC over the last five years. So many parties were created whose only aim was to destroy us, but they’ve been decimated,” Mr Abdullah claimed.

READ | “Omar Abdullah Banega J&K Chief Minister,” Announces Farooq Abdullah

While J&K’s integration into the Indian Union after the abrogation of Article 370 has been a contentious issue, the newly elected government faces the daunting task of maintaining stable governance in a politically sensitive environment.

Mr Abdullah made it clear that any move to nominate BJP candidates without consultation would be viewed as an imposition, further alienating the local leadership and stoking tensions. “Let the government be formed, let them give suggestions, and on that basis, the LG should nominate,” he said.

The vice president of the NC further underlined the importance of maintaining good relations with the Centre, suggesting that cooperation is necessary to address the region’s complex issues. “We want to build a relationship with the Centre. J&K cannot afford to have contentious relations with Delhi,” he said.

Srinagar:

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Monday said Lok Sabha member Sheikh Abdul Rashid’s suggestion for delaying government formation till restoration of statehood was playing into the hands of the BJP who wants the Central rule in Jammu and Kashmir to be extended.

“The man goes to Delhi for 24 hours and comes back to play straight into the hands of the BJP. The BJP would like nothing more than to extend central rule in J-K if they aren’t in a position to form a government,” Abdullah posted on X.

He was reacting to Rashid’s appeal to all non-BJP parties to delay government formation as a tactic to put pressure on the Centre for restoration of statehood.

On National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s statement that NC will take PDP support if needed, Omar Abdullah said it was all premature speculation.

“They haven’t extended support, they haven’t offered support and we don’t know what the voters have decided yet, so I really wish we could put a lid on all this premature speculation for the next 24 hours,” the NC vice president said in another post on X. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:
The second phase of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir — held after a gap of 10 years — began today. Polling will be held on 26 seats across six districts — many of them in areas dominated by separatists.

Here are 10 points on this big story:

Jammu:

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will start the party’s J&K election campaign on Wednesday as he is scheduled to address two election rallies in the union territory.

Rahul Gandhi will address one rally each in Jammu and Kashmir for the first phase of the 3-phased Assembly elections.

Congress sources said that a special plane carrying Rahul Gandhi will land at Jammu airport at 10 a.m.

“From the airport, Rahul Gandhi will take a helicopter for Sangaldan in Ramban district where he will address a Congress rally in support of the party candidate, Vikar Rasool Wani around 11 a.m.

Sangaldan forms part of the Banihal Assembly constituency in the Ramban district of the Jammu division.

Unable to reach an agreement on seat-sharing on the Banihal seat, both Congress and the National Conference (NC) have fielded candidates from there.

Party general secretary, Bharatsinh Solanki and state Congress president Tariq Hameed Karra will accompany Rahul Gandhi during the daylong campaign.

From Sangaldan, Gandhi will move to the Dooru Assembly constituency in the Anantnag district of Kashmir.

“At 12.30 p.m., Rahulji will address a Congress rally in Dooru Assembly constituency in favour of party candidate, G.A.Mir. These two rallies are the start of a series of Congress star campaigners seeking support for the party candidates. Later, Sonia Gandhiji, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who are among the 40 Congress star campaigners in J&K, will also campaign for the party candidates”, party sources said.

Three former JKPCC presidents, Vikar Rasool Wani, G.A.Mir and Peerzada Sayeed are fighting elections in the first phase of J&K elections.

Voting for the first phase takes place on September 18.

Congress and NC have announced a pre-poll alliance according to which the NC will fight on 52 seats and the Congress on 31 seats. Two seats, one for CPI(M) and one for Panthers party have been left by the alliance.

In five seats of Nagrota, Bhaderwah, Banihal and Doda in the Jammu division and Sopore in the Kashmir division both parties will field candidates against each other in what the alliance calls ‘a friendly contest’.

J&K has 90 Assembly seats, 47 in Kashmir and 43 in Jammu. Out of these, nine seats are reserved for ST seats and seven are reserved for SC.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Srinagar:

The Election Commission of India has confirmed that it will visit Jammu and Kashmir next week to review preparations for elections. The move is being seen as an indication that the Assembly elections in the Union Territory will be held before the deadline of September 30 set by the Supreme Court.

The full commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, will meet officials of the administration as well as representatives of political parties in Srinagar and Jammu during the visit, which will take place from August 8 to 10, it was announced on Friday. 

Sources said the commission is expected to announce the Assembly polls sometime after  August 15 to meet the September 30 deadline. 

In December last year, while delivering its verdict on Article 370, a five-judge Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had directed the poll body to hold Assembly elections in the Union Territory by September 30. It had also asked the Centre to restore statehood at the earliest.

On Wednesday, the Commission had asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transfer officials posted in their home districts as well as those connected with the election process who will be completing a three-year tenure on or before September 30.

Similar directions had been given to the chief secretaries of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where elections are due later this year.

Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government for over six years and the last Assembly elections were held in December 2014.

Next week, Jammu and Kashmir will also complete five years as a Union Territory. On August 5, 2019, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special status under Article 370 was removed. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has been administered by the lieutenant governor.

The Centre has also recently amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, giving sweeping powers to the lieutenant governor in the Union Territory. The amendments are in line with the Delhi Union Territory model, where the elected government has little authority over bureaucracy and many powers are vested in the Lieutenant Governor.

Opposition parties have reacted strongly to the Centre’s move and termed it “anti-democratic”. They allege that giving sweeping powers to the LG will make the elected government a rubber stamp.

During his visit to Srinagar in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Assembly elections would be held in Jammu and Kashmir soon, and statehood would also be restored.

Srinagar:

The Election Commission of India has indicated that Assembly elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir before September 30, which is the deadline set by the Supreme Court. Sources say the full commission is likely to visit the Union Territory in the next 10 days.

The poll body has asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to transfer officials posted in their home districts as well as those connected with the election process who will be completing a three-year tenure on or before September 30.

Similar directions have been given to the chief secretaries of Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where elections are due later this year.

In the case of Haryana, the EC has asked for the transfer of officials who complete three years on or before October 31, for Maharashtra, the date is November 30, and it is December 31 for Jharkhand.

Jammu and Kashmir has been without an elected government for over six years and the last Assembly elections were held in December 2014.

Next week, Jammu and Kashmir will also complete five years as a Union Territory. On August 5, 2019, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories and its special status under Article 370 was removed. Since then, Jammu and Kashmir has been administered by the lieutenant governor.

The Centre has also recently amended the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, giving sweeping powers to the lieutenant governor in the Union Territory. The amendments are in line with the Delhi Union Territory model, where the elected government has little authority over bureaucracy and many powers are vested in the Lieutenant Governor.

Opposition parties have reacted strongly to the Centre’s move and termed it “anti-democratic”. They allege that giving sweeping powers to the LG will make the elected government a rubber stamp.

During his visit to Srinagar in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Assembly elections would be held in Jammu and Kashmir soon and statehood would also be restored.

New Delhi:

The people of Jammu and Kashmir after living in a period of normalcy following the scrapping of special status to the erstwhile state feel encouraged to seek a true democracy, Union Minister Jitendra Singh told NDTV in an interview.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s April 12 speech in Udhampur in the Union Territory about restoring statehood and holding a state election, Mr Singh said it is the Opposition’s false portrayal of the ground situation in the border state that is misleading people.

Udhampur, where voting was held on April 19, is Mr Singh’s Lok Sabha constituency.

“Elections had been happening for decades in Jammu and Kashmir, but with a very small voting percentage. It was a travesty of democracy that we had a voting percentage of just about 10 per cent. People would elect MPs and MLAs, particularly from Kashmir valley, and they would go on becoming MPs, MLAs, ministers, generations after generation,” the Union Minister of Science and Technology told NDTV.

“They have now cultivated a vested interest in the continuance of militancy. In the shadow of militancy and terrorism, they can have close elections with a limited voter turnout which would of course be managed by them, and then they would manage their victory, election after election,” Mr Singh said, in what was also seen as taking a swipe at dynastic politics.

The Abdullah family of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference had been a strong political force in the region.

“Now that it (Jammu and Kashmir) has opened up, I think this is in the true spirit of democracy that we have a huge turnout, which also happened in the District Development Council (DDC) election,” Mr Singh said.

The DDC election was held after the centre in August 2019 scrapped special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution.

“We had a huge voter turnout (DDC elections) even in Kashmir valley. The situation has dramatically turned for the better. The most evident proof of that is the fact that we had more than two crore tourists in Kashmir valley. No tourist would risk their family just by assurance handed out by the government, or by a travel agency unless they get information from their own sources,” Mr Singh said, adding that is what has encouraged and emboldened the common man on the streets of Kashmir valley to come out and aspire for true democracy.