Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday urged all non-BJP parties to support National Conference (NC) candidates in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, warning that abstaining from voting would only benefit the BJP.
The biennial elections to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, vacant since 2021, are scheduled for October 24.
“I appeal to all political parties not to abstain from voting. This election is a clear choice between the BJP and the National Conference. Staying away will only help the BJP,” Abdullah told reporters in Baramulla.
He said NC candidates had earlier appealed to the PDP, Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), and People’s Conference (PC) for their support.
Reacting to PC president Sajad Gani Lone’s announcement that his party would abstain, Abdullah said such a move would directly help the BJP. “Only Sajad can explain his compulsions. But to ensure BJP does not win any seat, we need everyone’s support,” he said.
Responding to Lone’s accusation that the NC was helping the BJP win one seat, Abdullah rejected the claim. “If that were true, we wouldn’t have fielded a candidate for the fourth seat. There’s a clear difference between my politics and Sajad Lone’s politics,” he remarked.
Abdullah added that the NC believed the Congress had the best chance of winning the fourth seat, but decided not to contest it. “If Sajad is genuinely against the BJP, he should vote for our candidate. Abstaining only helps the BJP. We felt Congress was best placed to win that seat, especially since PDP—part of the INDIA alliance—would have found it easier to support them,” he said.
Despite the NC and PDP contesting the last assembly elections against each other, Abdullah expressed hope that the PDP would back NC candidates this time to prevent the BJP from gaining any ground.
