Omar Abdullah Welcomes J&K Assembly Schedule Announcement
Srinagar, August 16: National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah welcomed the announcement of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election schedule, but expressed concerns over recent transfers and security issues.
Addressing a press conference, Abdullah said, “On behalf of the Election Commission of India, the schedule for the Assembly elections in J&K has been announced. People of J&K have been waiting for this day for a long time.”
He said that the National Conference was prepared for the elections, saying, “We were already preparing for this day. We were ready to start the election.”
However, Omar raised concerns over the sudden transfers of officials, stating, “In the last 24 hours, there have been countless transfers here. The Election Commission should immediately take a look at them.” He suspected that these transfers might be aimed at benefiting the BJP and its allies.
Abdullah also demanded that the Election Commission ensure the security of mainstream political parties, particularly those opposed to the BJP, including the Congress.
He said that the security of some leaders had been withdrawn in recent days.
Regarding alliances, Abdullah said that the National Conference had held discussions with Congress leaders, but no concrete agreement had been reached.
He also said that some senior Congress leaders had approached the National Conference for an alliance, but nothing had been finalized yet.
The National Conference leader expressed confidence in the people of J&K, saying, “We have complete faith in people. People will come out and use their votes in the right way.”
The J&K Assembly elections are scheduled to take place in three phases, starting soon. This will be the first election in J&K after the abrogation of Article 370.
