Omar Abdullah wanted to form govt with BJP in 2014: Former National Conference leader

New Delhi : Former senior National Conference (NC) leader and now BJP leader Devender Singh Rana claimed that Omar Abdullah met with BJP leaders Amit Shah and Ram Madhav in 2014 to request the formation of a government with NC.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devender Singh Rana, on Monday,said “Omar Abdullah is trying to mislead the people of Kashmir by telling them that every political party except National Conference is with the BJP. In 2014, when I was a part of the National Conference, we knocked on every door asking people to form govt with us as we had only 15 people. Omar Abdullah says that at the time they met Amit Shah and Ram Madhav to urge them to form govt with NC. As at the time BJP had declined NC’s request, they are saying all this now.”

He also added that between August 2019 and October 2021, many attempts were made by the National Conference to get in touch with BJP leadership to form some kind of association.

“Between 5th August 2019 and October 2021, when I was in the National Conference, many attempts were made to get in touch with BJP leadership to form some kind of association. Omar Abdullah should tell the truth. National Conference will not form govt…We have no alliance with any political party in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

Congress and the National Conference have allied for the assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir has 90 assembly constituencies, with 7 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and 9 for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

As per the Election Commission of India’s data, Jammu and Kashmir has 88.06 lakh eligible electors. In the previous Assembly elections, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 25, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) won 15, and the Congress won 12.

Polling in Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases on September 18, 25, and October 1. The counting of votes will take place on October 8. It is the first assembly poll since the abrogation of Article 370.

CNI