Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rejected the People's Democratic Party (PDP) leader Mehbooba Mufti's accusation on Thursday. Mufti had claimed that the National Conference (NC) had closed the doors on potential alliance talks with the PDP. In an exclusive conversation during the 'Panchayat Aaj Tak' program, Abdullah stated, 'We did not close the doors on the PDP; they did it themselves.'
This remark came in response to a question about whether including the PDP in the NC-Congress alliance would have made it stronger. Abdullah went on to say, 'If any party targeted the NC the most after the Lok Sabha elections, it was the PDP.'
Pertinently, Mehbooba Mufti had earlier stated in an interview that her party would play a 'kingmaker' role in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections. Mufti said, 'Our party is contesting the elections and will emerge as the kingmaker. We have a capable and senior leadership within our ranks.'
Discussing the seat-sharing arrangement between the National Conference and Congress, Abdullah revealed that the NC would contest 51 seats, and Congress would contest 32 seats in the 90-member assembly. Jammu and Kashmir Congress leader Tariq Hamid Karra had earlier said that the two parties would engage in a friendly but disciplined contest on five seats, with one seat each left for the CPI(M) and Panthers Party.
Omar Abdullah previously expressed that restoring full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir is his top priority. He cautioned that if this demand was not met, he would take the issue to the Supreme Court. 'The commitment of the Prime Minister and Home Minister on the Parliament floor is to restore full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. It is the responsibility of the government and the Supreme Court. This is not the assembly we want, but it is where the process will begin,' he said.
Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are taking place for the first time in 10 years. The elections will be held in three phases: on September 18, September 25, and October 1, with results announced on October 8.
