Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cannot win even a single Rajya Sabha seat from Jammu and Kashmir without indulging in “horse trading.”
The election for the four Rajya Sabha in Jammu and Kashmir is scheduled to be held on October 24.
“BJP cannot win three Rajya Sabha seats without doing horse trading. In fact, they cannot even win one seat without it. They need 30 votes to win the fourth seat but have only 28. Not a single MLA apart from those 28 has supported them in the past year,” Omar told reporters in Srinagar.
He alleged that if the BJP manages to secure additional votes, it would be through “money power, muscle power, and the power of the agencies.”
“Let’s see if they try to win by threatening or buying votes — that will prove what people are saying in Bihar is right. Otherwise, as the numbers stand today, BJP is not in a position to win even one seat,” he said.
The Chief Minister added that the upcoming Rajya Sabha election will be a “test of loyalty,” revealing who truly stands with or against the BJP.
“Anyone who abstains or votes for the BJP is a friend of the BJP,” he remarked.
Omar said his party had set kept one seat Rajya Sabha seat for the Congress and they had the best chance of winning the fourth seat.
“We had kept one seat for Congress and they has decided not to field their candidate. We felt that in that fourth seat, the best chances of winning were with a Congress candidate. Congress felt otherwise, and so be it,” Omar said.
He added that the NC will now field candidates for all four seats, calling the election a “true test” of those who are with BJP and those against.
“We will field four candidates, and this election will be true test who is with the BJP and who is against the BJP,” Omar said.
Omar that party president and veteran leader Farooq Abdullah himself chose not to contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections from Jammu and Kashmir, dismissing speculation that he was denied a mandate.
“Who says Farooq Saab was not given a mandate? Does anyone have the courage to say that Farooq Saab wanted to fight the election but was not getting a mandate from the party? He himself decided to step back,” Omar said.
Praising his father’s enduring influence, Omar described Farooq Abdullah as “the guiding light of the National Conference,” calling him “the tallest and most respected leader of Jammu and Kashmir, and one of the most respected leaders in the country.”
Omar said the party would announce the names of the two candidates for the by-poll elections of Budgam and Nagrota in J&K soon.
