Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah directly accused the BJP of resorting to “horse-trading” to win even one seat. Abdullah claimed that the BJP cannot win any seats on its own, stating that they have 28 MLAs but need 30 votes to secure the fourth seat. He added that any BJP victory beyond their numbers would be achieved through “money power, muscle power, or the use of agencies,” and if that happened, “what people are saying about the BJP’s role in the Bihar elections will be considered true.”
Omar said the elections would also expose which legislators truly oppose the BJP and which ones secretly support it. He cautioned that any MLA who abstains or votes in favor of the BJP would be exposed before the public.
Omar further added, “In the last one year, no one other than the 18 BJP MLAs has supported them. Now is the testing time — these elections will reveal which political parties and legislators are aligned with the BJP and who genuinely belong to the opposition.”
The National Conference (NC) had initially set aside one seat for the Congress, but the Congress decided against contesting, despite having the best chance for the fourth seat.
Abdullah announced that the National Conference will now contest all four upcoming Rajya Sabha seats on its own after its alliance partner, the Congress, declined to field a candidate.
JDismissing claims that his father, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, was denied a mandate for a Rajya Sabha seat, Omar said, “No one has the power to deny him a mandate. He is one of the tallest leaders not only of Jammu and Kashmir but of the entire country. He himself chose to step aside for health reasons.”