National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah has said that he is a bit “disappointed but not surprised” at the Election Commission’s (EC) decision not to hold the much-awaited Assembly polls in occupied Jammu and Kashmir with the upcoming LokSabha election.
Omar Abdullah taking part in a debate on the INDIA bloc — “India’s opposition: The search for a narrative and strategy” in New Delhi said this was the ideal time to roll out the process of “one nation, one election”.
“I am a bit disappointed, but not surprised because all the air that has been created for one nation, one election has failed the test. The EC, the Jammu and Kashmir administration and to that extent, the government of India is unable to put its money where its mouth is,” he said when asked about the poll panel deciding not to hold the Assembly election with the LokSabha polls in the Union Territory. “If you cannot have the Jammu and Kashmir polls at the same time with the rest of the country, how are you promising it for 2029? This was a test case and in this test case, they have clearly failed. We were very hopeful because we have not had Assembly polls since 2014,” he added.
Omar Abdullah said 10 years is a long time for not holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir, especially at a time when the BJP-led government is telling the whole world that everything is so much better in the territory now.—INP
