SRINAGAR: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has reaffirmed that the restoration of the region’s statehood and special status will be the foremost agenda for the newly elected Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. The National Conference (NC) leader asserted that the first order of business for the Assembly would be to pass a resolution condemning the Centre’s 2019 decision to revoke Article 370 and bifurcate the region into two federally governed Union Territories.
In a recent interview with NDTV’s Nazir Masoodi, Omar Abdullah said, “The first order of business of the elected assembly should be to make it known not just to the rest of India but to the world at large that the people of J&K don’t agree with what happened to us on 5th August 2019. Then we start undoing what was done to us.” This statement came in the wake of the Election Commission of India’s announcement of the upcoming Assembly polls scheduled for September 18, 25, and October 1, with vote counting set for October 4.
Since the abrogation of Article 370, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its statehood and special status, Omar Abdullah has been one of the vocal critics of the move. The NC vice-president pointed out that the upcoming elections hold immense significance, marking the first assembly polls in the region since 2014 and the first since Jammu and Kashmir was placed under the President’s Rule in December 2018.
Omar stated that the struggle for the restoration of statehood would continue after the elections. “One of the main jobs of the elected chief minister will be to ensure that full statehood is restored to Jammu and Kashmir at the earliest because only as a state we can start to undo the damage that has been done to Jammu and Kashmir after 2019,” he said.
He also hinted at a possible reconsideration of his decision to refrain from contesting elections until statehood was restored. “It’s going to be a fight to restore statehood. Nothing is going to come to us easily. Even these elections didn’t come to us easily,” he added.
The Election Commission’s announcement of a three-phase election for the 90-member Assembly comes after several years of speculation and delay. Jammu and Kashmir has been under President’s Rule since December 19, 2018, following the collapse of the coalition government between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The elections are being held amid significant political and security challenges in the region, and the results are expected to have far-reaching implications. “These are the most significant elections in the last three generations of Jammu and Kashmir’s history,” said Omar Abdullah. He highlighted the importance of these polls, which are being held post-delimitation and after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
While the NC is preparing for the elections, Omar Abdullah did not rule out potential alliances with other political parties, including the Congress. He acknowledged challenges in the seat-sharing negotiations but remained open to discussions. “The door is not closed for an alliance. Seat-sharing has its own challenges, but it’s not a closed chapter yet,” he noted.
With Jammu and Kashmir’s political landscape set to transform the elections, the NC’s agenda remains focused on addressing the grievances of the people and seeking to restore the statehood that was lost in 2019.