Srinagar, June 06: Hitting out at the Election Commission over delay in conducting Assembly election in the Union Territory, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that elections are citizen’s right and the poll conducting body should explain people why assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are not being held.
“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. Election Commission should answer this, we want to hear from them,” the J&K National Conference leader told reporters here. Questioning the Election Commission of India (ECI), over the delay in the polls in J-K, he said, “Is there any pressure upon the Election Commission of India that it is delaying the elections here.”
“If there is any pressure, then the ECI should say boldly that they have pressure regarding the elections and can’t conduct polls. There must be something fishy (Zarur Daal Mein Kuch Kaala Hai),” Abdullah added.
Earlier in March, this year, a delegation of the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party and Congress met the ECI in the national capital over the demand for elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
National Conference President and Omar Abdullah’s father, Farooq Abdullah, Pramod Tiwari, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, and Naseer Hussain among others were a part of the delegation.
After the meeting, Abdullah said that the ECI has assured them to look into the matter. The former J-K chief minister said that there is a need for a “democratic government” in Jammu and Kashmir.
“ECI has assured us that they’re looking into this matter. It’s unfortunate that a State which is the crown of India was made a Union Territory. We want a democratic government in J-K,” he said.
Stating that the situation in the Union Territory has normalised, Abdullah sought to know why are the elections not being held.
Apart from this, Omar Abdullah had earlier said that the BJP’s reason behind not conducting the polls is that they are “afraid of losing” the Assembly elections in J-K.
“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,” he had said.
ANI
