As the counting of votes for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election got underway on Tuesday, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah warned the BJP not to interfere with the election results if the public mandate goes against them.
Speaking to reporter, Abdullah expressed confidence in the NC-Congress alliance’s chances, saying,”We have the hope that we will win. The decision has been made by the voters of Jammu and Kashmir, and we will get to know it by today afternoon.”
“There should be transparency. If people’s mandate is against BJP, they shouldn’t pull off any tricks,” he added.
Commenting on the alliance with Congress, Abdullah noted that the partnership was formed to secure a victory. However, he was noncommittal on whether they would seek support from other parties, like the PDP, stating that it was too early to discuss post-election strategies.
“Neither have we asked for any support from them nor have we received any support…let the result come. Not sure why we are so restless, let the result come, right now nobody has the number…right now we are not in need (of their support) …once the result is out, we will analyse,” he said, ANI reported.
Meanwhile, Congress candidate from Bahu Assembly, TS Tony, expressed optimism about a strong majority for the NC-Congress coalition, predicting a two-thirds win. He slammed the BJP for mismanagement and accused the party of undermining democracy.
“Congress-NC alliance is going to form the government with 2/3 majority. Earlier people trusted only statements. Now, all the lies are exposed…The people know everything now. This was the city of temples. BJP made it the city of liquors. They say that it is for revenue generation… The people are frustrated with the liquor and land mafia…They are exposed now, ” Tony said, further condemning the BJP for allowing the Lieutenant Governor (LG) to appoint five MLAs, a decision he argued should only be made by an elected government.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections were held in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1, across 90 constituencies.